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AMERICAN  COLLEGE 

AND 

UNIVERSITY   SERIES 


AMERICAN  COLLEGE  AND 
UNIVERSITY  SERIES 


General  Editor  :  GEORGE  PHILIP  KRAPP 

Professor  of  English  in  Columbia  University 


COLUMBIA       by  Frederick  Paul  Keppel 
PRINCETON    by  Varnum  Lansing  Collins 


IN  PREPARATION 


HARVARD 
WISCONSIN 
YALE 
VASSAR 


by  JouN  Hays  Gardiner 

by  J.  F.  A.  Pyrk 

by  George  H.  Nettleton 

by  Jambs  Monroe  Taylor  and 
Elizabeth  Hazblton  Haiqht 


Other  volumes  to  follow. 

Historical,  descriptive,  and  critical  accounts  of  the  more 
important  American  Colleges  and  Universities. 

Cloth,  8vo.  Gilt  top,  decorated  covci-.  Illustrated.  Per  copy  $1.50  net. 
OXFORD    UNIVERSITY   PRESS 

AMERICAN  BRANCH  :  9S  West  32nd  Street 

NEW  YORK  CITY 


Belfiu  uf  Xassai-  Hall 


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PRINCETON 


BY 


VARNUM  LANSING  COLLINS 


NEW  YORK 
OXFORD  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 

AMERICAN  BRANCH:    U  Wmt  SJkd  Street 

LONDON.  TORONTO.  MELBOURNE.  AND  BOMBAY 
HUMPHREY  MILFORD 

1914 

ALL  nionrs  reserved 


"1,  •.  >1 (, 


..  .,  ''A.si^'-\w:^i  .r.'" 


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Copyright,  1914 
BY  Oxford  University  Press 

AMERICAN  BRANCH 


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PREFACE 

The  history  of  Princeton  from  the  founding  in  1746 
to  the  inauguration  of  Dr.  John  Maclean  as  president 
has  been  related  by  Dr.  Maclean  in  his  "  History  of  the 
College  of  New  Jersey  "  (2  vols.,  Philadelphia,  1877), 
a  narrative  based  almost  exclusively  on  the  minutes  of 
the  board  of  trustees.    For  the  sesquicentennial  celebra- 
tion of  the  founding.  Dr.  John  DeWitt,  of  Princeton 
Theological  Seminary,  prepared  an  extended  survey  in 
three   parts—"  The   Planting  of  Princeton   College," 
"  Princeton  College  Administrations  in  the  Eighteenth 
Century,"  and  "  Princeton  College  Administrations  in 
the  Nineteenth  Century  "—which  was  published  first  in 
the  Presbyterian  and  Reformed  Review  for  April,  July, 
and  October,   1897,  and  reprinted  in  the  "  Memorial 
Book  of  the  Sesquicentennial  Celebration."    Dr.  Ashbel 
Green's  hundred-page  "  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Origin 
of  the  College  of  New  Jersey  [with]  an  Account  of  the 
Administrations  of  its  first  five  Presidents,"  published  as 
a  note  in  his  "  Discourses  "  (Philadelphia,  1822),  closes 
with    the    inauguration   of   President   Witherspoon   in 
1768.     Briefer  sketches  are  W.  A.  Dod's  "  History  of 
the  College  of  New  Jersey  "  (Princeton,  1844),  a  pamph- 
let of  fifty  pages  covering  the  period  from  1746  to  1783, 
and  Robert  Edgar's  "  Historical  Sketch  of  the  College 
of  New  Jersey  "  (Philadelphia,  1859),  a  pamphlet  of 
sixtj-six  pages,  covering  the  period  from  1746  to  1855. 
In  the  present  history,  the  point  of  view  adopted  will 
be  found  to  be  somewhat  diffprent  from  that  of  its 


ll^MTOiifSlB&ab.^ifc>■W^L^^'■i^^  - 


VI 


PREFACE 


predecessors.  While  of  course  the  aims  and  the  evolu- 
tion of  the  College  have  been  considered  afresh,  at  the 
same  time  a  special  effort  has  been  made  to  appreciate 
the  characteristics  of  the  life  and  atmosphere  of  the 
place  and  the  variety  and  color  in  its  history.  To  the 
latter  end  not  only  h.  .  free  use  been  made  of  the 
archives  and  early  official  documents  of  the  University, 
many  of  them  for  tht  lirst  time,  but  the  Princeton 
manuscripts  in  the  University  library,  such  as  the  Pyne- 
Ilenry  papers  and  the  large  collection  of  Princetoniana 
gathered  by  Colonel  William  Libbey  and  now  forming  a 
part  of  the  Princeton  Collection  in  the  library,  have 
been  extensively  used.  Besides  the  unpublished  remi- 
niscences and  diaries  in  the  Princeton  Collection,  such 
as  the  Strawbridge,  Shippen,  Duffield,  Talmage,  and 
Buhlcr  documents  and  the  Seharff-IIenry  manuscript 
account  of  "  College  as  It  is,"  the  anonymous  eight- 
eenth-century student  diary  preserved  among  the  manu- 
scripts of  the  Library  of  Congress  has  been  of  particular 
value.  A  similar  body  of  material,  for  the  loan  of  which 
acknowledgments  are  due  to  Miss  Garnett,  of  Hoboken, 
New  Jersey,  is  a  file  of  the  college  letters  of  James  M. 
Garnett,  an  early  nineteenth-century  undergraduate,  of 
which  fuller  use  would  have  been  made  had  the  docu- 
ments come  to  light  before  the  body  of  the  book  was 
completed.  Printed  sources  are  indicated  in  the  foot- 
notes. 

The  writer  is  under  deep  obligations  to  Dr.  DeWitt 
for  repeated  and  invaluable  consultations  especially  on 
the  earlier  portions  of  the  volume  which  have  profited 
greatly  by  his  criticism  and  knowledge,  and  to  the  Hon. 
Bayard  Henry,  of  Philadelphia,  for  the  benefit  of  his  long 
and  close  study  of  the  relation  of  the  Log  College  to  the 
College  of  New  Jersey.    The  statement  of  the  exact  con- 


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4 
It 


PREFACE  vii 

nection  between  the  two  institutions,  as  will  be  seen,  re- 
mains, in  the  opinion  of  the  writer  at  least,  still  somewhat 
short  of  conclusiveness.  Thanks  are  also  due  to  Dean  An- 
drew F.  West  for  helpful  criticism  of  the  chapter  on  the 
liistory  of  the  curriculum  with  which  he  is  so  familiar; 
to  Mr.  Ralph  Adams  Cram,  of  the  firm  of  Cram  and 
Ferguson,  for  kindly  providing  several  photographs  of 
the  Graduate  College  for  reproduction;  and  finally  to 
the  editor  of  this  series  of  college  histories,  Professor 
George  Philip  Krapp,  of  Columbia  University,  for  his 
unfailing  patience  and  numerous  useful  suggestions. 

It  is  hoped  that  this  book  may  not  only  serve  to  give 
a  clearer  impression  of  Princeton  to  readers  whom  no  tie 
binds  to  the  University,  but  that  in  its  pages  Prince- 
tonians  themselves,  who  have  lived  their  little  while 
here,  may  find  a  portrayal,  which  shall  not  seem  to  them 
too  inadequate,  of  their  alma  mater's  history,  her  moods, 
and  her  endeavors. 


Pbixceton,  April,  1914. 


V.  L.  C. 


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'•^^     ■='  •"'V  '  ""''>v^=' ,  .,^. 


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TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


CBAPTEB 


OP 


New 


II 

III 

IV 

V 

VI 

VII 

VIII 


AR 


Preface     

The  Pounding  op  the  College 
Jersey    

The  Colonial  Period   . 

The  Revolutionary  Period  . 

Princeton  Before  the  Civil  W. 

A  Century  op  College  Life 

The  Transition  Period 

The  University     ... 

History   of   the   Curriculum 
trance  Requirements 

IX    Buildings  and  Equipment  . 

X    The  College  Seasons  . 

Appendix  : 

I    Chabteb  of  the  Trustees  op  the  College  op 
New  Jersey 

II    Student  Geographical  Representation,  1805-1913 

III  Alumni  Geographical  Distribution,  1914 

IV  Instructional  Staff  and  Student  Enrolment 

1868-1913 

V    Endowment,  1869-1914 

VI    Financial  Summary,  Year  Ending  July  31,  1913 
Index      .... 


AND 


En 


FAOB 

v-vii 

1 
31 
66 
100 
165 
221 
251 

291 
332 
368 


399 
408 
409 

410 
410 
411 

413 


^imr^A 


Jli  si 


I 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Belfry  of  Nassau  Hall        ....     Frontispiece 

FACING  PAOE 

Nassau  Hall  and  President's  (now  the  Dean's)  House  39 
Dawkins'  Engraving 

Letter  of  Faculty  to  President  of  Congress  .         .  85 

Nassau  Hall  and  Dean's  (formerly  the  President's) 

House 125 

The  Halls 166 

Holder  Hall  and  Tower 205 

McCosh  Walk  and  President  McCosh      .         .         .  249 

University  Library  and  Back  Campus     .         .         .  263 

Graduate  College  and  Cleveland  Tower  .         .         ,  285 

Procter  Hall 325 

Tiie  Steps zl1 


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vV 


THE  FOUNDING  OP  THE  COLLEGE  OF 
NEW  JERSEY 

The  Call  for  Higher  Education  in  the  Middle  Colonies.  The 
Log  College  The  (Jreat  Schism.  Governor  Hamilton  and  the 
Charter  of  1740.  The  College  of  New  Jersey  and  President 
Dickinson.     Uovernor  Belcher  and  the  Charter  of  1748. 

The  history  of  Princeton  University  falls  naturally 
into  four  periods,  each  possessing  distinctive  char- 
acteristics. 

The  Colonial  Period,  from  1746  to  1768,  covers  the 
founding  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey  (the  official  title 
of  Princeton  University  until  1896),  the  ten  years  of 
temporary  location  at  Eli^beth  and  Newark,  and  the 
establishment  in  a  perr  jt  home  at  Princeton.  It 
includes  the  administrati  s  of  Presidents  Dickinson. 
Burr,  Edwards,  Davies,  and  Finley— a  period  of  feeo. 
beginnings,  but  clearly  defined  hopes  and  purposes. 

The  next  period,  from  1768  to  1794,  '.  hich  for  con- 
venience may  be  called   the  Revolutionary  Period,  is 
spanned  by  one  administration,  that  of  President  w'ith- 
erspoon,  beginning  with  a  term  of  vigorous  growth  and 
marked  prosperity  which  was  suddenly  brought  to  a 
close  and  .mllified  by  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  and 
was  followed  by   a  decade  of  desperate  effort  at  re- 
habilitation.     During  this  period  the  College,  in  spite 
of   material    ill-fortune,    acquired   national   reputation 
through  the  superb  vigor  of  its  president  and  the  eager- 
ness  with   which  its  graduates  came  to  the  front  in 
manifold  opportunities  for  public  leadership. 


COLLKOK  OF  NEW  JERSEY 


Reaction  cnsin-d  iind  tln'  ('olK%'f  slowly  sunk  back 
from  its  position  of  i)roniinoni't',  roaohing  the  verge 
of  dissolution,  ii  futi'  from  \vlii>'li  it  wns  saved  only 
liy  the  devotion  of  one  man.  This  wus  John  Maclean, 
lie  so  nursed  tin-  tlickeriiig  vitality  of  the  institution 
that  when  at  Icn^'th  lie  beeaiiie  president  the  College 
WHS  (.nee  more  in  a  position  of  n?spcctability,  and  at 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  in  better  condition  than 
ever  before.  This  streteh  of  seventy-odd  years,  which 
may  bo  roughly  ealhil  the  ante-bellum  period,  com- 
prises lli((  administrations  of  ['residents  Smith,  Green, 
Carnahan,  and  .Maclean. 

The  new  era  that  dawned  with  the  close  of  the  Civil 
War  brought  to  the  College  a  new  president  and  now 
forces;  and  unu.  r  Dr.  MeCosh's  far-sighted  direction 
was  passed  the  Transition  Period,  lasting  twenty  years, 
18HS-1 888,  during  which  Princeton  was  transformed 
from  a  small  and  average  college  into  a  potential 
university. 

Tiie  administration  of  President  McCosh  opened  the 
way  to  the  ^Modern  Period,  from  1888  to  the  present 
time,  when  the  College  of  New  Jersey  became  Princeton 
University,  and  under  the  administrations  of  Presidents 
Pntton  and  Wilson  began  to  a.ssumc  an  individual  posi- 
tion among  American  institutions  of  learning. 


The  founding  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey  was  coin- 
cident with  a  bitter  dissension  in  the  American  Presby- 
terian Church,  a  dissension  of  which  the  College  was  in 
some  part  a  result,  and  which  noticeably  shaped  from 
the  very  beginning  the  course  of  the  history  that  the 
following  pages  are  to  tell. 

In  the  language  of  the  earliest  official  account  of  the 
College,  published  with  the  imprimatur  of  the  board  of 


*AV**^ 


CALL  FOK  IIIOIIEU  EDl'CATION 


3 


trustees  i  I  1752,  six  years  after  the  founding,  it  owed 
its  t'xisteiioe  to  the  zeal  of  ' '  several  Gentlemen  residing 
in  and  near  the  Province  of  New  Jersey  who  were  well- 
Wishers  to  the  Felicity  of  their  Country,  &  real  Friends 
of  ileligion  and  Learning,  and  who  had  observed  the 
vast  Incroiuso  of  thes(>  (the  Middle)  Colonies,  with  the 
Kudeness,  and  Ignorance  of  their  inhabitants  for  want 
of  the  necessary  Means  of  Improvement.  .  .  ."* 

Whether  or  not  the  conditions  in  the  colonies  south 
of  New  England  were  aa  benighted  as  this  view  implies 
is  not  of  immediatt  ;oncern.  It  need  be  remembered 
only  that  the  College  of  New  Jersey  owed  its  inception 
to  a  little  group  of  Presbyterian  ministers  and  laymen 
belonging  to  the  Synod  of  New  York,  who  had  long  felt 
not  only  the  opportunity  but  the  actual  necessity  of 
maintaining  an  institution  of  higher  learning  in  the 
Middle  Colonies,  within  reasonable  reach  of  their  peo- 
ple, and  especially  upholding  satisfactory  standards. 

From  one  point  of  view,  bat  from  one  only,  it  was 
a  plain  case  of  clerical  supply  and  demand.  Popu- 
lation was  increasing  rapidly;  the  colonial  provision  of 
spiritual  oversight  was  unable  to  meet  current  needs; 
Harvard  and  Yale  were  uncomfortably  far  away,  even 
had  reports  of  their  philosophical  tendencies  at  the  time 
been  entirely  satisfactory  to  exacting  Calvinistic  minds 
dwelling  within  New  York  and  Philadelphia  spheres  of 
religious  influence.  William  and  Mary  in  Virginia 
was  in  both  respects  out  of  the  question,  and  there  were 
no  other  colleges  in  North  America,  Obviously,  there- 
fore, the  training  of  the  new  generation  of  ministers 
rested  either  with  European  universities  or  with  the 


' "  General  Account  of  the  Rise  and  State  of  the  College  lately 
established  in  the  Province  of  New  Jersey  in  Ameiica."  New 
York,   1752. 


£iLiy:i:;.':??L.^Kj;kii"!^^ 


4  COLLEGE  OF  NEW  JERSEY 

American  church  itself.    But  Europe  was  absolately  be- 
yond the  means  of  the  vast  majority  of  pious  parents, 
who  though  pious  were  usually  poor ;  and  the  conclusion 
was  inevitable  that  an  additional  institution  of  higher 
learning,  where  candidates  for  the  ministry  might  find 
ade(iuate  training,  must  be  erected  in  the  Middle  Colonics. 
But  clerical  supply  and  demand  was  not  the  only 
point  of  view.    There  remained  the  larger  question  of 
general  higher  education.     A  few  thoughtful  leaders 
of  social  life,  principally  clergymen,  confessed  to  the 
conviction,   perhaps  more  often   felt  than  openly   ex- 
pressed,  that   the  support  of   a  college   within   their 
borders  was  not  only  possible  because  of  the  demand 
for  an  educated  ministry,  but  that  from  a  broader  aspect 
it  was  a  patriotic  necessity.    The  inrush  of  settlers  and 
the  consequent  heterogeneity  of  society  in  the  Middle 
Colonies,  together  with  the  total  lack  of  convenient 
provision  for  their  educational  improvement,  seemed  to 
demand  some  unifying  intellectual  center,  just  as  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  in  that  part  of  the  country  at 
least,  was  supplying  a  unifying  religious  center.    It  was 
one  expression  of  their  growing  Americanism,  a  sense 
of  their  growing  strength,  a  prevision  of  their  coming 
nationalism ;  and  these  men  saw  in  higher  education  the 
hope  of  the  new  social  unification.     The  college  they 
had  indefinitely  in  mind  was  not  to  be  a  college  merely 
for  a  single  locality  or  a  single  province,  but  was  to 
be  planned  for  the  newer  sections  of  the  country  as 
well  as  for  the  old.    Moreover,  it  was  to  be  a  fountain 
of  Ktrength  to  prepare  their  sons  for  a  common  exist- 
ence and  a  common  struggle ;  education  meant  to  them 
not  scholarship  but  preparation  for  facing  successfully 
the  colonipl  life  that  was  each  year  growing  more  and 
more  abundant ;  na  full  of  possibility. 


^jMii'MrnXf^K^^mimm 


EARLY  CLASSICAL  SCHOOLS  5 

While  these  ideas  were  loosely  drifting  in  the  air, 
efforts  had  not  been  wanting  to  supply  ministerial  can- 
didates with  the  means  of  higher  education.    Clergymen 
here  and  there,  graduates  of  British  universities  or  of 
Harvard  or  Yale,  with  strength  enough  to  take  on  addi- 
tional labor  beside  their  unceasing  pastoral  cares,  were 
already  privately  instructing  likely  young  men  in  the 
classics  and  in  divinity,  and  some  of  these  private  efforts 
were  crj'stallizing  into  schools  soon  to  acquire  some  repu- 
tation.    For  instance,  a  Yale  graduate,  the  Reverend 
Jonathan  Dickinson,  pastor  of  the  chiir"h  at  Elizabeth 
Town  in  New  Jersey,  was  already  conducting  classes,  or 
directing  the  private  reading  of  a  few  students  looking 
forward  to  the   ministry;  and  later,  his  colleague   at 
Newark,  New  Jersey,  the  Reverend  Aaron  Burr,  also 
a  Yale  man  and  bringing  to  his  first  charge  all  the 
buoyancy  of  youth  and  the  cJiusiasm  of  earnest  con- 
victions, was  to  hold  similar  guidance  over  a  handful 
of  his  young  parishioners.    More  famous  schools  were 
soon  to  grow  up  under  the  Reverend  Samuel  Blair  at 
Faggs  ^Nlanor,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  Reverend  Samuel 
Finley   at  Nottingham  in  Maryland.     The  history  of 
these  schools  is  fragmentary  and  elusive;  but  it  seems 
certain  that  they  were  antedated  in  establishment  and 
eclipsed  in  reputation  by  a  remarkable  institution,  or- 
ganized at  the  Forks  of  the  Neshaminy  in  Bucks  County, 
Pennsylvania,   by  the  Reverend   William   Tennent,  to 
which,  on  its  removal  to  land  given  him  on  the  York 
road  near  Hartsville  in  the   same  county,   the  name 
"  Log  College  "  was  scoffingly  given.^ 
While  others  had  talked  and  dreamed,  Mr.  Tennent 

•  For  its  history  see  Archibald  Alexander,  "  Biographical 
Sketches  of  the  Founder  and  I'rincipal  Alumni  of  the  Log  Col- 
lege," Princeton,  1845;   2d  cd.,  PliiUidelphia,   1851. 


6  COLLEGE  OF  NEW  JERSEY 

had  gone  ahead  and  in  a  small  but  vigorous  way  had 
endeavored  to  meet  the  demand  of  the  times.  Formerlji 
a  priest  of  the  Established  Church  of  Ireland,  he  had 
renounced  its  claims  and  with  his  four  sons  had  emi 
grated  to  America,  where  in  1718  he  was  admitted  as 
a  Presbyterian  to  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  at  thai 
time  the  only  synod  in  America.  Of  his  piety,  his  zeal 
his  classical  education,  there  never  was  any  doubt.  Set 
tied  as  pastor  at  Xeshaminy  about  1727,  he  had  com 
menced  his  school  as  a  purely  private  affair,  his  owr 
sons  being  probably  his  first  pupils.  The  log  cabin 
which  was  in  a  few  years  to  give  a  contemptuous  name 
tc  the  institution,  was  erected  as  his  numbers  increased 
Having  no  charter,  he  conferred  no  f^  grees;  but  h( 
succeeded  in  supplying  to  candidates  lor  the  ministry 
some  measure  of  the  liberal  education  which  he  himsel: 
had  so  eagerly  absorbed  at  the  [^niversity  of  Edinburgh 
and  with  this  education  he  also  imparted  to  his  student; 
■much  of  his  own  earnestness  and  religious  enthusiasm 
It  is  conceded  that  the  early  American  Presbyteriar 
Church  owes  an  enormous  debt  to  'Mr.  Tennent  not  onlj 
for  the  men  to  whom  he  gave  their  only  theologica 
training,  but  for  the  fact  that  "  he  convinced  the  Pres 
byterians  of  the  Middle  Colonies  that  they  need  not  anc 
ought  not  wait  upon  Great  Britain  and  New  Englanc 
for  an  educated  ministry."  ^ 

But  the  more  far-sighted  spirits  of  the  Synod  o: 
Philadelphia,  though  indorsing  the  work  of  the  Loj 
College,  nevertheless  plainly  recognized  its  inadequacies 
At  best  it  was  a  makeshift;  it  had  no  academic  standing 
no  permanent  organization;  it  was  a  one-man  affair 
ic  was  not  a  genuine  college.     And  more  with  a  viev 

'  John   DoWitt.  "  Planting  of  Princeton  College,"  Presi.  aru 


■1 


THE  LOG  COLLEGE 


and 


to  preserve  educational  standards — a  task  which  the 
upspringing  of  similar  unchartered  and  irresponsible 
institutions  would  make  increasingly  difficult, — than 
with  any  intention  to  belittle  Mr.  Tenneut's  labors,  the 
Synod  in  1738  laid  down  a  notable  landmark  in  the 
history  of  American  educatx.n  by  passing  a  rule  that 
hereafter  no  candidate  for  orders  who  did  not  hold  a 
degree  from  Harvard,  or  Yale,  or  a  European  uni- 
versity, should  be  licensed  by  a  presbytery,  until  his 
educational  fitness  had  been  passed  on  by  a  committee 
of  the  Synod. 

The  Log  College  representatives  in  the  Synod  pro- 
tested; they  considered  the  measure  a  blow  directly 
aimed  at  their  institution;  and  they  were  not  mistaken 
in  believing  that  it  would  injure  their  Avork.  Loyalty  to 
the  record  of  their  own  school  made  it  well-nigh  im- 
possible for  them  to  acquiesce  in  a  move  which  under 
other  circumstances  they  would  have  supported.  For, 
the  Synod's  rule  of  1738  was  admittedly  a  first  step 
toward  raising  educational  standards,  a  step  forced  upon 
the  Synod  by  a  group  of  thoughtful  leaders  who  eher- 
ished  a  wider  purpose  for  American  education  than  only 
the  training  of  ministers,  and  toward  this  wider  view 
the  Log  College  men  would  have  been  in  general  sym- 
pathetic, provided  it  did  not  mean  the  sudden  sacrifice 
of  their  own  established  enterprise. 

The  next  step  was  not  long  in  being  reached,  and  in 
1739  a  cautious  overture  w„s  brought  in  and  unani- 
mously approved  by  the  Synod  for  founding  a  "  school 
or  seminary  of  learning"  wherein  candidates  for  the 
colonial  ministry  might  be  adequately  trained  for  the 
ever-widening  field  that  lay  before  the  American  church. 
A  committee  of  the  Synod  was  appointed  to  aecomplisli 
tiic  piuii  and  it  was  decided  thai  two  of  the  four  men 


8 


COLLEGE  OF  NEW  JERSEY 


named  should  go  to  Europe  and  solicit  aid  for  the  proj 
ect.  On  this  eommittco  were  two  of  the  promoters  ol 
the  scheme,  the  Reverend  Ebcnczer  Pemberton  of  Xev, 
York  City  and  the  Reverend  Jonathan  Dickinson  ol 
Elizabeth  Town.  An  enthusiastic  supporter  was  founc 
in  the  Reverend  Aaron  Burr  of  Newark.  There  is  litth 
doubt  that  these  men  had  in  mind  even  then  a  largei 
view  of  the  proposal  than  appeared  in  its  terms:  namely 
not  merely  the  ministerial  supply  of  the  colonies,  bul 
the  establishment  of  a  college  ultimately  to  rank  witl 
any  in  America  or  Great  Britain.*  How  they  woulc 
have  gone  about  the  difficult  task  of  developing  theij 
dream  from  the  synodical  institution  described  in  th( 
overture,  would  be  a  pleasant  speculation.  But  wai 
broke  out  between  England  and  Spain;  and  in  this 
juncture  the  trip  to  Eui  .,  ?  was  more  than  ever  dan 
gerous  and  seemed  utterly  hopeless  of  success.  Th( 
whole  plan  was  therefore  laid  over,  and  before  anything 
further  was  done  about  it  the  Synod  was  torn  asundc] 
by  the  dissension  which  effectually  prevented  furthei 
concerted  action. 

There  had  been  growing  up  in  the  Synod  of  Phila 
delphia  two  well-defined  parties.  One,  the  "  New  Side,' 
while  believing  in  proper  educational  requirements,  nev 
ertheless  laid  more  weight  than  their  opponents  on  th( 
conscious  religious  experience  of  ministerial  candidatei 
and  on   what  might  be  called  the  emotional  style  o: 

'  This  view  was  first  olpiirly  hroTight  cut  by  Dr.  DcWitt  in  hi 
"  Planting  of  Princeton  College."  It  is  implied  in  the  "  Genera 
Account"  of  1752,  and  in  subsequent  oiricial  statements.  Evoi 
President  Ashbel  Green,  under  whose  administrative  influence  th^ 
broader  purpose  of  the  College  shrank  into  the  narrower,  is  em 
phatie  in  his  "Notes"  that  the  College  wa;?  not  founded  to  be  ai 
institution  of  which  the  chief  object  was  tc  "  form  youth  for  tb 
gosjx'l  ministry."  Cf.  hi?  "  Discourses  .  .  .  with  Notes  and  Illus 
trations  including  an  Historical  Sketch  of  the  College,"  Phila 
iluiphiu,   lb22,  p.  2U2. 


THE  GREAT  SCHISM  9 

preaching.  It  was  this  section  of  the  church  which  later 
welcomed  to  its  arms  the  fiery  Whitefield.  Its  leaders 
were  to  be  found  in  the  group  who  backed  the  Log  Col- 
lojro.  and  whose  loudest  exponent  was  Mr.  Tennent's  hot- 
he'aded  son  Gilbert.  Its  members  belonged,  for  the  most 
part,  to  the  Presbytcrj'  of  New  Brunswick,  cmbracag 
the  churches  between  East  Jersey  and  Philadelphia,  and 
the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle,  embracing  the  churches  in 
outhera  Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  and  :Maryland. 

Opposed  to  them  in  ecclesiastical  ideals  and  pastoral 
methods  rather  than  in  tnae  religious  spirit  and  in  the 
demand  for  higher  standards  of  educational  fitness  for 
the  ministr>',  was  the  "  Old  Side  "  party,  comprising 
the  majority  of  the  Synod  and  having  its  stronghold 
if  the  Prcsbyterj'  of  Philadelphia.  These  men  clung 
to  the  indefinable  dignity  of  the  church  and  did  not  look 
with  favor  upon  the  more  emotional  forms  of  preaching 
and  of  religious  experience. 

Between  the  two  stood  the  Presbytery  of  New  York, 
containing  men  of  rather  finer  and  more  delicate  ap- 
preciations perhaps  than  either  of  the  other  parties, 
men  like  Dickinson,  Pemberton,  Pierson,  and  Burr,  the 
leaders  of  the  movement  looking  toward  the  founding 
of  a  high-class  college. 

The  Synod's  rule  of  1738  brought  the  inevitable  clash 
in  1739,  vhen  it  was  discovered  that  the  Presbytery  of 
New  Brunswick,  in  total  disregard  of  the  rule,  had,  dur- 
ing the  last  year,  licensed  John  Rowland,  a  Log  College 
graduate.  The  Synod  promptly  ordered  him  to  submit 
to  examination  before  their  body  and  characterized  the 
conduct  of  the  Presbytery  in  licensing  him  as  "  very 
disorderly,"  and  admonished  it  not  to  repeat  such 
"  divisive  courses."  This  action  did  not  tend  to  soothe 
the  Xow  Brunswick  men,  and  least  of  all  did  it  quiet  the 


^..j^JSS^ 


10 


COLLEGE  OF  NEW  JERSEY 


turbulent  soul  of  Gilbert  Tennent.  To  add  fuel  to  the 
smoldering  fire,  in  November  of  that  year  (1739)  the 
Reverend  George  Whitefield  began  his  remarkable  re- 
vivalistic  tours  through  the  colonies.  The  Tennent  party 
promptly  adopted  him  as  one  of  their  own,  and  it  is 
in  his  diary,  as  all  the  world  knows,  that  the  best  con- 
temporary account  of  the  Log  College  is  found. 

"With  this  tremendous  and  inspired  accession  to  their 
forces  the  members  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick 
persisted  to  such  a  degree  in  the  objectionable  features 
of  their  methods  and  in  their  protest  against  the  Synod's 
examining  rule  that  this  body  felt  called  upon  to  re- 
monstrate. Remonstrance,  however,  had  no  effect,  and 
at  last  in  1741  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Synod  it 
was  somewhat  summarily  resolved  that  the  recalcitrant 
presbytery  had  forfeited  its  right  to  sit  in  the  SjTiod; 
and  being  thus  practically  read  out  of  that  body,  its 
members  indignantly  withdrew  from  the  meeting. 

The  New  York  Presbytery  for  some  unknown  reason 
had  been  absent,  but  its  members  at  once  endeavored 
to  adjust  the  quarrel.  Failing  after  repeated  effort, 
and  feeling  that  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  had  not 
acted  fairly  toward  the  New  Brunswick  group,  in  1745 
it  also  withdrew  as  a  protest,  and  in  the  autunn  of 
that  year  at  Elizabeth  Town  formed  with  the  Pres- 
bytery of  New  Brunswick  and  the  Presbytery  of  New 
Castle  the  Synod  of  New  York. 

During  this  regrettable  squabble,  whose  result  is 
known  in  the  annals  of  American  Presbyterianism  as 
the  Great  Schism,  those  members  of  the  Presbytery  of 
New  York  who  had  headed  the  educational  project  oi 
1739  had  not  lost  sight  of  their  scheme.  But  the  situa- 
tion had  changed.  They  could  no  longer  look  for  help 
from  their  former  colleagues  in  the  Synod  of  Phila- 


~y  T^y^^^^y^ 


GOVERNOR  IIA.MILTON 


11 


dolphia.     That  thoy  RonRht  any  from  the  Log  College 
men  is  not  flofinitoly  known,  although  it  will  be  seen 
that  there   is  strong  circumstantial  eviden«e  of  such 
action.    In  any  case,  it  is  clear  from  the  terms  of  the 
charter  which  they  subsequently  drafted  that  the  col- 
lege they  were  at  this  time  hoping  to  erect  was  to  be 
free  of  ecclesiastical  control  and  placed  on  a  totally 
undenominational  basis.     In  other  words,  it  was  to  be 
a  national  college.    Late  in  1745  or  early  in  1746  they 
boldly  applied  to  Governor  ^lorris  of  New  Jersey  for 
a  charter.     A  zealous  Anglican  and  a  strict  observer 
of  the   precedents   and   commissions  of  his  office,  the 
governor  refused  to  give  these  Presbyterians  their  de- 
sire, and  it  seemed  as  if  the  plan  were  blocked  at  its 
^     opening  stage.     But  the  governor  died  in  May,  1746, 
-^    and  was  succeeded  in  the  temporary  administration  of 
'   the  province  by  the  president  of  the  provincial  council, 
John  Ilamilton.     Acting  Governor  Hamilton  was  also 
"      an  Anglican  and  a  loyal  servant  of  the  Crown ;  and  he 
'     was  quite  as  familiar  with  gubernatorial  prerogatives  as 
Governor  Morris.    But  his  ripe  age  and  long  experience 
had  mellowed  his  attitude  toward  men  of  other  churches 

-  than  his  own,  and  regardless  of  the  ecclesiastical  in- 
.-  terests  that  m.'ght  be  concerned  he  was  heartily  in 
:     sympathy  with  the   general  cause  of  religion  and  of 

higher  education.  When  the  petitioners  repeated  their 
:  effort  and  laid  before  him  a  draft  of  the  charter  for  a 
"     college  in  New  Jersey,  although  he  had  no  precedents  save 

negative  ones  to  guide  him,  and  although  he  had  sought 
■  neither  the  fiat  of  the  provincial  legislature  nor  the  spe- 
'-     cial  pormission  of  t^ie  home  government,  he  placed  the 

-  matter  before  his  council  and,  gaining  the  latter 's  as- 
2  sent,  granted  his  petitioners'  request.  On  October  22, 
I     171G,  the  first  charter  of  the  ''  College  of  New  Jersey  " 


±^'^^EMM^Mk 


12 


COLLEGE  OF  NEW  JERSEY 


passed  the  seal  of  the  Province.     As  Dr.  DeWitt  has 
said: 

"  Thft  name  of  John  Hamilton  should  be  pivrn  a 
conspicuous  place  in  any  list  of  the  founders  of  Prince- 
ton University.  lie  f?ranted  the  first  charter;  he  granted 
it  against  the  precedent  made  by  the  governor  whom 
he  succeeded  in  the  executive  chair;  and  he  granted  it 
with  alacrity,  certainly  without  vexatious  delay.  What 
is  more  remarkable,  at  a  time  when  Episcopalian  gov- 
ernors were  ill-disposed  to  grant  to  Presbyterians  ecclesi- 
astical or  educational  franchises,  he — an  Episcopalian — ■ 
gave  this  charter  to  a  board  of  trust  composed  wholly 
of  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Though  the 
son  of  a  governor,  and  acting  as  a  royal  governor,  he 
made  no  demand  that  the  government  be  given  a  sub- 
stantive part  in  its  administration;  and,  though  grant- 
ing the  franchise  as  governor  of  a  single  province, 
he  gave  it  to  a  board  of  trustees  in  which  four  prov- 
inces were  represented.  For  the  times  in  which  he  lived, 
his  conduct  evinces  exceptional  large-mindedness. ' '  ^ 

The  grant  of  this  charter  is  recorded  in  Book  C  of 
the  Commissions  and  Charters  now  preserved  in  the 
office  of  the  Secretarj'  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  but 
an  official  copy  was  nev.r  placed  in  the  files  of  the 
province,  nor  has  any  compiotp  version  of  its  text  sur- 
vived. The  probable  explanation  of  the  failure  to  record 
the  instrument  is  easy  to  suggest.  The  charter  was  un- 
precedented and  objection  to  it  was  immediately  raised 
in  Anglican  circles;  undoubtedly  for  this  reason  there 
was  hesitancy  to  publish  its  full  terms  and  so  ease  the 
way  to  further  Anglican  attack,  and  before  a  final  de- 
cision to  this  question  was  reached  Governor  Hamilton 
died  (June,  1747).  Then  it  turned  oiit  that  Governor 
Morris's  formal  successor,  Jonathan  Belcher,  had  al- 

'  "  Planting  of  Princeton  College,"  Presb.  d  Ref.  Rev.,  April, 
1897,  p.  189. 


<ii:-l 


CHARTER  OP  1746 


13 


ready   been   appointed    (July,    174G)    when    Hamilton 
pranted  the  charter.    Mr.  Belcher  had  not  been  able  im- 
mediately to  qualify  as  governor  because  of  inability  to 
scrape  together  enough  funds  to  pay  his  fees  in  London 
and  buy  a  passage  to  America;  but  the  fact  of  his  ap- 
pointment prior  to  the  granting  of  the  charter  m.ght  in 
certain  quarters  have  cast  further  doubt  on  the  propriety, 
not  to  say  the  legality,  of  the  Hamilton  grant     \\hen 
Governor  Belcher  arrived  in  August,  1747,  and  showed 
that  he  not  only  favored  the  project  of  a  college  but  was 
eager  to  give  the  incorporators  a  better  charter  than 
Hamilton's,  it  was  thought  no  longer  necessary  to  record 
the  earlier  instrument,  and  the  formality  was  never  car- 

ried  out.^  ,     ^        i?  -itic  :„ 

Although  no  complete  text  of  the  charter  of  174b  is 
known,  nevertheless  there  are  in  contemporary  news- 
papers at  least  two  separate  and  important  announce- 
ments concerning  the  grant.    One,  published  in  the  Mw 
York  Gazette  for  February-  2, 1747,  was  a  statement  that 
a  charter  "  wHh  full  and  ample  privileges  "  for  found- 
ing a  college  had  been  granted  on  October  22,  1746,  to 
the    Reverends    Jonathan    Dickinson,    John    Pierson, 
Ebenezer  Pemberton,  and  Aaron  liurr,  "  and  some  other 
Gentlemen,  as  Trustees  of  the  said  College."    The  state- 
ment further  gave  notice  that  the  college  was  to  be  opened 
in  May    1747.    The  other  document,  published  simul- 
taneously in  the  Pennsylvania  Gazette  and  in  the  Penn- 
sylvania Journal  for  August  13,  1747,  and  repeated  in 
the  Gazette  for  August  17  and  September  10,  and  m  the 
Journal  for  August  27, 1747,  was  an  official  and  extended 
suramarj'  of   he  charter's  provisions,  together  with  a  list 
of  twelve  trustees,  the  name  of  the  president,  and  an  an- 

■  Incidentally.   Belcher's   charter   was   not   recorded  until   two 
years  alter  it  had  pasbed  the  provinciai  BL-ai. 


I 


se; 


14 


COLLEGE  OF  NEW  JERSEY 


nouueemont  that  the  coHofje  was  actually  open.  The 
document  bears  internal  I'vidcui'c  that  the  writer  either 
had  a  copy  of  the  charter  before  him  or  was  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  its  language. 

According  to  this  summary,  the  charter  named  seven 
trustees, — tliree  laymen,  William  Smith,  William  Pear- 
tree  Smith,  and  Peter  Van  lirugh  Livingston,  and  four 
ministers,  Jonathan  Dickinson,  John  Pierson,  Ebenezer 
Peraberton,  and  Aaron  Burr,  "  with  full  powers  to  any 
four  or  more  of  them,  to  chuse  five  more  trustees,  to  the 
exercise  of  equal  power  and  authority  in  the  said  college 
vith  themselves."  If  these  words  imply,  as  they  seem 
to  do,  that  the  original  seven  trustees  were  given  power, 
but  were  not  required,  to  elect  associates,  the  charter  was 
by  reason  of  this  permissive  clause  only  the  more  unusual. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  twelve 
was  the  intended  number  of  trustees,  the  delegation  of 
power  to  a  part  of  the  twelve  to  name  the  rest  was 
further  evidence  of  the  generous  catholicity  of  Governor 
Hamilton's  attitude. 

With  the  names  of  Dickinson,  Burr,  and  Pembertoh  we 
are  already  familiar.  John  Pierson  was  pastor  of  the 
church  at  Woodbridge,  New  Jersey ;  William  Smith  was 
a  New  Yorker  and  one  of  the  most  distinguished  lawyers 
of  the  time ;  William  Peartree  Smith,  then  of  New  York 
and  later  of  Elizabeth  Town,  was  a  man  of  leisure  and 
wealth  and  given  to  good  works ;  Livingston  was  a  New 
York  merchant  and  likewise  well  known  as  a  man  of  pub- 
lic spirit.  All  of  the  seven  except  Pemberton  were  Yale 
graduates.    Pemberton  was  educated  at  Harvard. 

We  may  presume  that  these  seven  gentlemen  chose 
their  fellow-trustees  before  they  proceeded  to  elect  a 
president.  Between  February  2,  1747,  then,  the  date 
of  the  New  York  Gazette's  notice  of  the  charter,  and 


LOG  COLLEGE  TRUSTEES 


15 


April  "0  1747,  when  tho  snnio  paper  nnnounecd  Mr. 
Dickinson's  appointment  to  the  pn-sidmey,  they  selected 
as  their  coHeagues  the  Reverends  Gilbert  Tcnnent,  Will- 
iam Tennent,  Samuel  Blair,  Samuel  Finley,  and  Richard 
Treat  The  written  but  undated  consent  to  these  elec- 
tions signed  by  the  four  .vew  York  trustees,  being  a 
majority  of  the  original  seven,  is  preserved  in  the  library 
of  Princeton  University. 

The  significant  fact  about  the  five  new  men  is  that  with 
but  one  exception— the  Yale  graduate,  Richard  Treat,— 
they  were  all  educated  at  the  Log  College  and  with  Treat, 
who  lived  at  Abington  not  far  from  the  Log  College  and 
was  in  close  touch  with  it,  were  all  earnest  supporters 
of  that  institution.    The  presence  of  the  charter's  per- 
missive clause  as  to  the  enlargement  of  the  board  could 
scarcely  have  been  accidental;  and,  when  the  circum- 
stances arc  considered,  its  insertion  in  the  charter  and 
the  promptness  with  which  the  incorporators  elected  the 
Log  College  group  at  least  suggest,  if  not  plainly  indicate, 
the  existence  of  some  sort  of  understanding  or  pre- 
arrangement.     In  brief  the  circumstances  were  these. 
Gilbert  Tennent  and  his  friends  had  been  frankly  op- 
posed to  any  educational   plan  which  would  militate 
against  the  Log  College;  but  by  the  end  of  1745  or  the 
beginning  of  1746  the  Log  College  was  undoubtedly  ap- 
proaching dissolution.    Ur.  Tennent,  senior,  had  resigned 
his  pastorate  in  1743  on  account  of  advancing  age,  and 
it  is  likely  that  his  school  was  already  suffering  from  the 
effect  of  his  growing  feebleness.    At  any  rate,  on  his  death 
eariv  in  May,  1746,  it  ceased  to  exist.     The  approach 
of  this  event  and  the  long-standing  interest  of  Dickin- 
son and  his  friends  in  the  creation  of  a  genuine  col- 
h'ge,  render  it  very  probable  that  the  founding  of  a  new 
and  better  organized  institution  had  already  been  dis- 


16 


COLLEGE  OF  NEW  JERSEY 


cussed  with  the  Tfnnonts,  and  an  a^rcemc^nt  rc.i.lKd  look- 
ing  toward  an  eventual  union  of  forces  in  support  of  the 
proposed  neiv  enterprise.  Provision  for  this  union  wouh! 
appear  to  have  been  made  in  the  permissive  ehiuse  of  the 
eharter.  If  this  agreement  existed  the  Log  CoUege  men 
might  properly  have  been  named  with  the  original  in- 
corporators. Their  absence  from  the  list  is  to  be  ex- 
plained on  the  hypothesis  that,  owing  to  the  antagonism 
prevailing  toward  them  in  certain  quarters,  it  was  more 
prudent  to  omit  their  name?;  I'lan  to  jeopardize  the  suc- 
cess of  the  whole  scheme  by  announcing  their  support 
of  the  proposed  college  before  its  eharter  was  even  as- 
sured. Documentary  evidence  of  an  agreement  such  as 
the  one  suggested  has  not  as  yet  been  discovered,  but 
should  it  ever  come  to  light  the  existence  of  a  far  more 
intimate  relationship  between  the  Log  College  and  the 
College  of  New  Jersey  than  that  which  can  at  present 
be  proved  would  at  once  become  an  established  fact. 

After  their  election  to  the  board  there  were  no  more 
earnest  workers  for  the  College  of  New  Jersey  than  the 
Log  College  men  and  their  pupils.  They  turned  all  their 
influence  in  fnvor  of  their  latest  allegiance.  And  with 
their  influence  went  that  of  the  Reverend  George  "White, 
field.  His  letters  to  prominent  and  wealthy  persons  in 
England,  his  efforts  to  secure  an  honorarj'  degree  for 
President  Burr  from  a  British  university,  his  enlistment 
of  the  interest  of  the  Countess  of  Huntington,  and  his 
assistance  to  Davies  and  Tennent  v.hen  they  made  their 
memorable  trip  to  England  a  few  years  later,  are  evi- 
dence of  the  great  evangelist 's  activities  on  behalf  of  the 
new  college.* 

Between  February  and  April,  1747,  the  first  meeting 

•  Cf.  V.  L.  Collins,  "  George  Whitpfipld  and  the  Collcffe  of  New 
Jersey,"  in  t'rinceton  University  BuUettn,  Vol.  IX,  p.  23. 


-^ 


CIIAHTKirS  PROVISIONS 


17 


:§ 


'4 


€ 


•--* 
% 


m 


^ 


(tf  tlu'  Iriistoos  under  the  charttT  was  hold,  and  on  April 
liO.  in  the  Sew  Yurie  GiizcHc,  as  aln'ady  stated,  appoarod 
a  notice  that  the  Reverend  Jonathan  Dickinson  had  l)ecn 
fleeted  to  the  presidency  of  the  college  and  that  the  latter 
rtould  1)C  opened  in  the  fourth  we.k  of  May  at  Klizabeth 
Town,    lint  no  suiiuiiar>'  of  the  charter's  provisions  has 
been  found  of  earlier  date  than  that  printed  in  the  Penn- 
sijlvania  Gazette  for  \.igust  13,  1747.    The  charter  per- 
mitted a  board  of  trustees  of  twelve,  seven  of  whotn  were 
named  in  the  instrument  and  five  more  might  bi  e'cctcd 
by  the  original  sevin,  or  any  four  of  them.    The  trustees 
were  a  self-perpetuating  body  with  authority  to  receive 
bequests,  donations,  etc.,  to  erect  buildings,  appoint  a 
faculty  and  other  ofiieers  "  as  arc  usual  in  any  of  the 
universities  or  colleges  in  the  realm  of  Great  Britain  "; 
to  make  such  laws  and  ordinances  for  the  government  of 
the  College  as  were  not  repugnant  to  the  laws  of  the 
realm  and  of  the  province  "  provided  that  no  person  be 
debarred  any  of  the  privileges  of  the  said  college  on  ac- 
count of  any  speculative  principles  of  religion;  but  those 
of  every  religious  profession  having  equal  privileges  and 
advantages  of  education  in  the  said  college  " ;  and  finally 
the  corporation  was  empowered  to  confer  any  degree  con- 
ferred in  Liitish  universities.     It  was  announced  that 
the  Reverend  Jonathan  Dickinson,  of  Elizabeth  Town, 
had  been  elected  president,  and  Mr.  Caleb  Smith  tutor, 
that  the  college  was  actually  open,  and  that  it  would  re- 
main at  Elizabeth  Town  until  a  building  could  be  erected 
in  a  more  central  place  in  the  province. 

The  election  of  Mr.  Dickinson  to  the  presidency  had 
been  a  foregone  conclusion.  lie  was  one  of  the  leaders 
of  the  original  movement  looking  toward  the  establish- 
ment of  a  college  in  the  middle  provinces ;  he  had  kept 
the  idea  alive  during  the  long  wait,  and  he  was  the  lead- 


18 


COLLEGE  OF  NEW  JERSEY 


in?  spirit  to  scizo  the  chance  when  it  came.  The  great- 
grandson  of  an  Oxford  graduate  he  was  born  in  Massa- 
chusetts and  had  been  graduated  f.-oin  Yale  in  1706, 
under  Yale's  first  president.  Two  years  later  he  had 
come  to  Elizabeth  Town  and  had  been  ordained  pastor 
of  the  church  there  in  ITDD,  in  his  twenty-first  year. 
He  had  grown  to  be  the  leading  member  of  the  Presbytery 
of  New  York  and  one  of  the  best  known  preachers  in  the 
American  Presbyterian  Church.  Besides  this,  he  was 
more  than  an  aver-ige  lawyer,  and  he  also  practiced 
medicine.  At  the  time  of  his  election  as  president  of  the 
new  college  he  had  but  lately  published  his  celebrated 
and  oft  reprinted  "  Familiar  Letters,"  a  work  on  the 
evidences  of  Christianity  which  "linched  for  him  the 
reputation  of  being  not  only  the  ablest  defender  in 
America  of  Presbyterian  doctrine  and  constitution,  but 
one  of  the  foremost  English  speaking  theologians  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  I\Ir.  Caleb  Smith,  the  newly  elected 
tutor,  was  another  Yale  man  and  at  the  time  was  study- 
ing with  Mr.  Dickinson  in  the  private  divinity  school  the 
latter  was  conducting. 

Acting  Governor  Hamilton's  grant  had  inevitably  laid 
itself  open  to  criticism.  It  is  said  that  zealous  adherent;? 
of  the  Established  Church  decided  to  attack  it  in 
Chancer^'.  Be  that  as  it  may.  they  lost  no  time  in  ac- 
quainting the  Bishop  of  London,  under  whose  jurisdic- 
tion the  Provice  of  New  Jersey  lay,  with  Hamilton's 
unprecedented  action.  It  was  claimed  that  the  petition 
for  the  charter  was  put  in  so  suddenly  and  privately  that 
the  clergj'  of  the  Established  Church  had  had  no  oppor- 
tunity to  enter  a  caveat  against  it ;  in  any  case  it  was 
hoped  that  if  it  proved  to  be  inconsistent  with  the 
Constitution  steps  might  l)e  taken  by  the  bishop  to  quash 
the  charter.    But  it  does  not  appear  that  the  bishop  ever 


VALIDITY  OF  CHARTER 


19 


proocodcd  in  the  matter,  and  the  Hamilton  charter  was 
never  formally  attacked.    Several  years  later  its  validity 
was  assailed  in  the  New  York  Mercury  (July,  1755),  and 
it  was  claimed  that  Hamilton  in  1746  had  been  incom- 
petent through  old  age,  that  he  had  been  so  blind  as  to 
» .-    -ru-ible  to  read,  and  so  weak  that  he  could  s'^  .:'cely 
sitrn  his  nan  e.     The  neat  rejoinder  was  made  that  the 
Milidity  of  other  grants  and  instruments  of  his  at  this 
piTiod  was  never  questioned,  and  the  invidious  distinc- 
tion thus  revealed  laid  bare  the  animus  of  the  attack. 
Although  the  first  charter  was  never  recorded  there  seems 
to  have  been  no  (luestion  among  the  friends  of  the  Col- 
lege as  to  its  validity.    All  of  Governor  Belcher's  letters 
in  regard  to  the  College  accept  the  legality  ot  the  Ham- 
iUon  charter ;  in  fact,  the  governor  declared  that  if  the 
trustees  preferred  to  go  on  under  the  old  grant  he  would 
be  satisfied.    He  accepts  without  question  the  legal  ex- 
istence of  the  College  under  the  first  charter.    After  he 
granted  a  new  instrument  the  first  charter  was  dropped 
from  existence  by  tacit  consent,  and  a  new  life  was  begun. 
Governor  Hamilton  could  scarcely  have  doubted  that 
the  design  of  his  petitioners  was  not  limited  to  the  edu- 
cation of  a  ministry.    Governor  Belcher  clearly  took  the 
same  larger  view,  and  in  the  official  statements  of  the 
trustees  this  view  was  obtained.    In  the  "  General  Ac- 
count "  of  1752  prepared  for  the  Tenncnt-Davies  cam- 
paign abroad,  the  ministerial  object  is  given  secondary 
place.    The  statement  reads: 

"  It  will  suffice  to  say  that  the  two  principal  Objects 
the  Trustees  had  in  View,  were  Science  and  Religion. 
Their  first  Concern  was  to  cultivate  the  Minds  of  the 
Pupils,  in  all  those  Branches  of  Erudition,  which  are 
generally  taught  in  the  Universities  abroad ;  and  to  per- 
fect their  Design,  their  next  Care  was  to  rectify  the 


20 


COLLEGE  OF  NEW  JERSEY 


Heart,  by  inculcating  the  great  Precepts  of  Christianity, 
in  order  to  make  them  good  Men." 


Here  is  a  clear  statement  of  the  prime  object  of  Jie 
College.  The  "  first  concern  "  of  the  trustees  was 
to  make  it  ultimately  the  equal  of  universities 
abroad,  and  "  their  next  care  "  was  to  make  it  a  home 
of  religious  principles.  It  is  true  that  in  the  special 
"  Petition,"  which  was  drawn  up  in  England  in  1754 
by  Tennent  and  Davies,  the  emphasis  is  laid  entirely  on 
ministerial  education,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that 
this  document  was  prepared  for  distribution  in  Scotland 
just  before  the  annual  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Scottish  Church;  it  was  planned  for  a  special 
audience,  the  clergj'  and  members  of  that  church,  and 
was  issued  by  Tennent  and  Davies  on  their  own  responsi- 
bility, and  does  not  bear  the  official  indorsement  of  the 
board  of  trastces. 

It  is  well  to  emphasize  this  fact  as  to  the  real  purpose 
of  the  founders,  for  the  following  pages  will  show^  that 
in  course  of  time  that  purpose  was  obscured  by  succes- 
sive administrations  until,  with  the  early  overshadow- 
ing presence  at  Princeton  of  the  Theological  Seminary 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  to  give  color  to  the  belief, 
the  mistaken  view  gained  firm  hold  on  the  public  mind, 
and  to  a  certain  extent  has  retained  its  hold,  that  the 
College  of  New  Jersey  was  founded  chiefly  to  educate 
candidates  for  the  ministry,  and  that  college  and  sem- 
inar}' are  departments  of  a  single  university. 

j\Ir.  Dickinson  was  elected  to  the  presidency  early  in 
the  spring  of  1747,  and  the  College  was  opened  at  Eliza- 
beth Town  toward  the  end  of  ^lay.  The  contemporarv 
minutes  of  the  trustees  are  not  preserved,  and  it  is  nol 
known  what  requirements  for  admission  were  laid  down 


GOVERNOR  BELCHER 


21 


if  any.  nor  what  currifulnm  was  outlined.  The  oourse 
wa.s  in  all  likeliliood  similar  to  that  which  Mr.  Dickin- 
son had  been  giving  to  his  owTi  pupils.  Recitations  were 
iieard  in  Vr.  Dickinson's  parsonage,  and  the  students 
lived  in  private  lodgings  in  the  village.  Their  number 
is  not  definitely  known,  although  it  was  not  more  than 
eight  or  ten,'  most  of  whom  undoubtedly  had  been  the 
president's  own  pupils.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  a 
class  was  ready  for  graduation  by  May,  1748,  and  the 
third  Wednesday  of  that  month  was  chosen  for  the  first 
Commencement  Day.  But  before  tha"  date  arrived  much 
history  was  to  be  made  for  the  College  hy  the  new  gov- 
ernor of  the  province. 

Jonathan  Belcher  reached  New  Jersey  in  August,  1747. 
He  had  probably  been  informed  of  the  existence  of  the 
College,   and  he  took  up  the   project  with   immediate 
energy.     A  native  of  iMassachusetts  and  a  graduate  of 
Harvard,  he  had  traveled  extensively  in  Europe  before 
entering  mercantile  life  at  Boston.     Becoming  in  the 
course  of  time  governor  of  the  colony  he  had  also  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Harvard  board  of  overseers.    With 
his  wealth  and  liberal  education  he  had  also  strong  re- 
ligious tastes;  moreover,  he  had  the  mental  vision  that 
came  from  good  breeding  and  wide  travel.    He  had  left 
.Massachusetts  under  a  cloud,  but  on  reaching  London 
had  been  able  to  shatter  the  case  against  him,  and  he 
speidily  found  the  governorship  of  New  Jorsey  offered 
him.    He  was  at  this  time  a  man  of  sixty-five.    Reach- 
ing New  Jersey  he  did  not  delay  to  acquaint  himself 
with  affairs  in  his  new  domain,  and  a  letter  of  his  dated 
within  a  few  days  of  his  arrival  mentions  with  favor 
Mr.  Dickinson  and  "  the  affair  in  which  he's  conce.-ned." 

'  Cf.  "  A  Short  Account  of  .    .  the  College  in  the  Province  of 
New  Jersey."  New  American  Magazine,  March,  1760. 


22 


COLLEGE  OF  NEW  JERSEY 


His  gubernatorial  cxitcricnco  f-liowttl  liitn  at  or'^e  that 
the  Hamilton  charter  wn^'  v>t  all  that  it  m's^'ht  have 
been  from  a  le<ral  i)oin1  view,  and  although  under 
necessity  he  would  havi'  lorcrd  himself  to  le  satisfied 
with  it  and  would  have  confirmed  and  renewee,  it/  never- 
theless he  proposed  forthwith  to  rectify  its  weakness. 
In  addition  to  a  better  charter,  the  Colhge  needed  visible 
and  permanent  form  such  as  a  residence  of  'ts  own ;  and 
it  needed  money.  The  permanent  location  had  already 
been  the  subject  of  "  much  striving."  In  the  1747 
agreement  of  the  X''w  York  trustees  to  tiie  election  of 
the  Log  College  repr(>seutatives,  the  chief  paragraph  ex- 
presses their  consent  to  have  the  CoUege  placed  at 
Princeton,  and  their  insistence  that  buildings  be  erected 
speedily,  "  because  it  will  not  in  Common  reputation  be 
Esteemed  a  College  till  some  publiek  buildings  are 
built  for  the  uses  of  such  College."  It  did  not  take  the 
governor  long  to  agree  to  the  choice  of  Princeton  and  to 
ally  himself  with  those  who  believed  that  the  halfway 
village  on  the  high  road  between  New  York  and  Phila- 
delphia was  the  place  for  the  location  of  the  College,  be- 
ing "  as  near  the  centre  of  the  province  as  any  and  a 
fine  sitiaation." 

Acknowledging  on  October  8,  1747,  the  receipt  of  a 
catalogue — its  first  catalogue  and  one  of  the  hopeless  de- 
sires of  Princeton  bibliographers — he  wrote  to  President 
Dickinson  arranging  to  see  him  and  ^Ir.  Pemberton 
witliin  tile  week  so  as  to  plan  some  scheme  to  lay  before 
the  Provincial  Assembly  "  for  the  service  of  our  Embryo 
College,  as  a  Lottery  or  anything  else."  And  to  Pem- 
berton he  writes  in  the  same  vein,  asking  him  to  come 
"  prepar'd  to  lay  something  before  the  Assembly  for 
the  service  of  our  Infant  College.  I  say  our  because  I 
•Letter  to  Gilk'rt  Tenncnt,  June  18,  1748. 


PRESIDENT  DICKINSON 


23 


am  determined  to  adopt  it  for  a  Child  and  to  do  every- 
thing in  my  power  to  promote  and  Esiabliyli  so  noble  an 
Undertaking."  He  had  already  reached  his  two  other 
eoncilusions,  one  as  to  location,  and  the  other  that  the 
trustees  "  must  have  a  new  and  better  Charter,  which 
[  shall  give  them."  The  enthusiastic  old  governor  did 
iK.t  know  that  while  he  was  penning  his  eager  words  to 
Mr.  Dickinson  that  great  heart  lay  dead  in  the  parsonage 
at  Elizabeth  Town. 

President  Dickinson  died  of  pleurisy  on  October  7, 
1747,  leaving  young  Caleb  Smith  sole  member  of  the 
college  faculty.  It  is  inconceivable  that  the  whole  burden 
of  teaching,  between  Dickinson's  death  and  the  fonnal 
election  of  his  successor,  fell  on  Smith 's  shoulders.  The 
Reverend  Aaron  Burr  had  shared  in  the  movement  lead- 
ing to  the  founding  of  the  College;  he  was  one  of  the 
original  seven  trustees;  he  had  managed  a  school  at 
Newark  similar  to  Dickinson's  at  Elizabeth  Town;  he 
was  nearest  at  hand;  and,  although  no  official  record 
exists,  there  is  trustworthy  evidence  that  he  was  ap- 
pointed, if  not  elected,  to  take  charge  of  the  college, 
transferring  headquarters  to  his  own  parsonage  at 
Newark.  There  were  eight  students  in  residence  at  the 
time.^ 

The  death  of  President  Dickinson  made  no  change  in 
Governor  Belcher's  plans,  although  it  was,  he  said,  "  in- 
deed a  Considerable  loss  to  my  Adopted  daughter." 
The  accumulation  of  public  business  before  the  assembly 
made  it  unwise  at  this  time  to  lay  the  needs  of  the  Col- 
lege before  that  body;  he  tells  Mr.  Pemberton  in  Jan- 
uary, 1748,  that  he  fears  for  the  success  of  such  a  move 

'  See  obituary  notice  of  President  Burr,  dated  Princeton,  Sep- 
U'mhi'T  29,  1757,  and  published  in  the  New  York  Merctiry  October 
10,  1757,  and  the  Pennsylvania  Journal,  October  13,  17o7.  (M.  J. 
Archives.  Vol.  XX.  p.  140.) 


24  COLLEGE  OF  NEW  JERSEY 

at  the  time,  "tho'  several  Gentlemen  of  Influence  are 
very  Friendly,  yet  well  Timing  is  a  good  Step  in  busi- 
ness-And  I  think  a  few  Months  can  be  of  no  great  de- 
triment."   The  delay  would  give  him  a  chance  to  frame 
his  proposed  new  charter,  and  he  therefore  asks  Mr 
Pemberton  and  his  friends  to  digest  the  matter      with 
Inlargement,"  and  let  him  have  a  rough  sketch  of  their 
ideas  and  he  will  see  wherein  it  can  be  improved      At 
his  request  the  first  Commencement  was  postponed  from 
time  to  time  to  July,  1748,  on  which  occasion  he  in- 
tended to  be  present.    As  for  the  charter,  ho  was  taking 
the  best  advice  he  could  obtain,  and  at  last  in  :SIay  he 
was  able  to  send  a  draft  to  Chief  Justice  Kinsey  of 
Pennsylvania  with  a  list  of  the  proposed  trustees,  and 
asking  for  criticism.    Copies  were  sent  to  several  other 
interested  friends,  among  them  the  Reverend  Jonathan 
Edwards  at  Stockbridge,  from  whom  the  governor  ob- 
tained a  number  of  "  kind  hints."     And  by  June  he 
was  ready  to  have  the  charter  engrossed  and  the  seal 

afiixed 

But'  under  the  leadership  of  Gilbert  Tennent,  strong 
opposition  to  certain  provisions  of  the  charter  had  de- 
veloped in  the  board.    According  to  the  governor,  Mr 
Tennent  seemed  inclined  to  "  draw  up  Spectres  and 
Apparitions  into  Substances  about  the  King's  Governors 
being  always  one  of  the  Trustees,"  and  Jonathan  Ed- 
wards feared  that  Tennent  would  drop  out  entirely  it 
the  proviso  were  retained.     The  governor  had  at  first 
intended  that  four  members  of  the  Provincial  Council 
should  be  ex-officio  members  of  the  board,  beside  the 
governor  of  the  province  himself.    Against  his  own  pref- 
erence he  had  waived  the  council's  representation,  but 
he  held  out  stubbornly  for  the  governor's  presence.    He 
could  not  think  it  prudent  to  grant  a  charter  otherwise; 


CHARTER  OF  1748 


25 


i 
1 

'i 

'3 
■« 

■i 


ho  feared  it  might  offend  his  superiors  at  "Whitehall; 
perliaps  the  trustees  would  prefer  to  go  on  under  the 
()ri;,'inal  charter,  in  which  case  he  would  "  be  quite  easy," 
but"  if  he  was  to  have  any  more  to  do  with  it,  he  would 
send  the  document  to  be  engrossed.    He  considered  the 
iliartor  the  most  important  matter  before  him— Com- 
mencement and  entrance  requirements  and  examinations 
boing  "  small  things  to  the  adjusting'  and  Completing 
the  Charter  which  is  the  Foundation  on  which  every 
thing  Else  depends."    :Meanwhile,  he  was  looking  ahead, 
and  before  the  charter  was  ready  he  was  planning  to 
add  to  the  faculty  a  professor  of  medicine  and  surgery, 
a  science  which  he  believed  as  useful  as  any  in  a  young 
countrv  already  "  too  much  plagued  with  Quacks  and 
Blundering  :\Ian  Slayers."    As  for  the  financial  side,  he 
felt  that  little  encouragement  would  be  received  from 
the  government  of  the  province ;  he  estimated  the  entire 
population  at  only  60,000  souls ;  and  many  public  officials 
were  Quakers  who  were  unfriendly  to  learning,  so  that 
private  subscriptions  seemed  to  be  the  only  means  of 
gaining  a  footing. 

At  length  the  charter  was  read  by  the  King's  attorney 
general  and,  having  been  accepted  by  the  council,  by 
July  28  it  had  passed  the  seal  of  the  province.  When 
Mr.  Pcmberton  unguardedly  intimated  that  things  were 
going  rather  slo"  ly.  the  governor  bluntly  informed  him 
that  "  in  all  Acts  of  Government  I  must  and  will  pro- 
ceed with  the  best  propriety  I  am  Master  of,  and  no 
Body  will  be  able  to  Persuade  me  to  move  Slower  or 
faster  than  that.  Beside  my  Heart  is  so  especially  en- 
gaged in  the  Prosperity  of  the  College,  that  I  want  no 
Stimulus."  And  Mr.  Pemberton  returned  to  his  New 
York  pulpit  with  chastened  spirit.  The  charter  was  sent 
to  the  trustees  on  October  4,  1748.  and  was  accepted 


26  COLLEGE  OF  NEW  JERSEY 

by  them  u  few  days  later,  and  the  oft  deferred  first  com- 
mencement was  finally  set  for  November  9,  1748. 

The  Belehor  charter  is  the  instrument  under  which, 
with  only  such  amendments  as  passing  time  and  altered 
conditions  have  rendered  necessary.  1  -inceton  University 
exists  to-dav.     Like  its  predecessor  it  is  absolutely  un- 
denominational. "  free  and  equal  Liberty  and  Advantage 
of  Education  in  the  said  College,  any  different  Senti- 
ments on  Religion  notwithstanding,"  being  guaranteed 
to  "  those  of  everj-  religious  Denomination.'      And  like 
its  predecessor  again,  its  object  is  to  enable  the  youth 
of   the   provinc.'s  to   be   "instructed  in   the  Learned 
Languages  and  in  the  Liberal  Arts  and  Sciences.      There 
is  no  mention  of  any  set  purpose  to  educate  for  the 
ministr^•      In  several  particulars  relating  to  the  con- 
stitution of  the  board  of  trustees  it  differed  from  its 
predecessor.    It  made  the  governor  of  the  province   for 
the  time  being,  ex  ofPdo  president  of  the  board,  and  the 
president  of  the  college,  for  the  time  being,  ex  officio  a 
member  of  the  board ;  it  increased  the  number  of  trustees 
from  twelve  to  twenty-three,  including  the  governor ;  and 
it  required  that  twelve  of  them  should  be  residents  of 
the  province.     Thirteen  of  the  trustees  named  in  the 
charter  came  from  New  Jersey,  six  from  Pennsylvania, 
and  four  from  New  York.    Twelve  of  them  were  clergy- 
men   eleven  Presbyterians  and  one  a  Welsh  Calvinist. 
Among  the  laymen  at  least  two  were  Episcopalians,  at 
least  two  were  Quakers,  and  one  belonged  to  the  Dutch 
Reformed  Church.     Four  of  the  New  Jersey  laymen 
were  members  of  the  provincial  council ;  and  one  of  them, 
Andrew  Johnston,  the  provincial  treasurer,  was  elected 
treasurer  of  the  College ;  so  that  while  Governor  Belcher 
did  not  get  his  complete  will  as  regarded  ex  officio  repre- 
sentation of  the  council  in  the  board,  he,  aevertiieiess, 


GOVERNOR  BELCHER 


27 


tliornir'hlv  safcpnanlod  Crown  intorosts.  On  the  new 
l.onrd  w.-rV  uino  Yiilc  K'raduatcs,  four  Harvard  graduates, 
;ind  thrco  Log  College  aluiiiiii.' 

Whatever    (Jovcriior    lU'leher's   activities    may   have 
l)cen  in  New  England— and  he  has  been  eharged  with  a 
variety  of  pietures<iue  shorteomings -— his  attitude  to- 
ward the  College  of  New  Jersey  was  one  whieh  Prinee- 
tonians  find   inipossihle  to  eritieise.     Whether  or  not 
his  immediate  and  active  interest  was  inen^  sentiment  is 
after  all  of  little  matter;  and  smile  though  one  may  at 
his  constant  allusion  to  his  "  infant  Daughter,"  it  must 
he  admitted  that  his  conduct  was  that  of  a  prudent  and 
far-seeing  parent.     His  s\ihsequent  refusal  to  allow  his 
name  to  "be  given  to  the  building  he  was  to  be  most  in- 
strumental in  erecting  indicates  that  his  motives  were 
unselfish  ;  his  suggestion  that  the  building  be  named  after 
^Villiam  of  Nassau  was  a  wise  appeal  for  popular  favor 
on  behalf  of  the  College,  just  as  his  eflfort  to  get  a  Scot- 
tish university  to  confer  the  honorary  degree  of  doctor 
of  divinitv  on  :\Ir.  IJurr  and  :\Ir.  Pemberton  was  an  en- 
deavor to  strengthen  the  standing  of  the   College  m 
academic  circles.    His  direction  of  the  process  of  incor- 
poration  was   governed   by  the   utmost   care    and   the 
strictest  observance  of  legalities;  he  was  bound  there 
should  be  no  tkw  in  the  new  foundation  he  was  laying. 
As  for  the  permanence  of  the  institution,  that  was  en- 

'  The  trustees  named  in  the  charter  were  John  Reading   James 

Ilude  Aiulrew  Johnston,  Thoma.  :;--'^'l'  J.'•'>^^•"^fi„  l^P 
^;UiI.I).■n.  William  Smith,  Peter  V.  B.  Livingston,  William  1-. 
Slh  Samuel  Hazard,  and  the  Reverends  .Tf"  .'.'"f "'  ^^^'^l 
l>emi;rlon,  Joseph  Lamb,  Gilbert  Tennent  ^^ '1>'^"1  l-""*^?*; 
Ri.hard  Treat,  simuel  Blair,  ])avid  Cow.!!,  frtLmO  trustees 
Johnos,  Thomas  Arthur,  and  Ja.ob  Green  ^  .  the  1  40  tru.te  3 
were  reappointed  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Dickinson,  uho  had 
dieil    and  Mr.  Finlev,  who  had  resigned.  . 

2Cf    "The  Belcher  Papers,"  Massachusetts  Historical  Society 
p^ii,,..f.;rjTi=    (ith  series.  VoL  VI,  p.  xxii. 


t\ 


28  COLLKC.K  OF  NKW  JERSEY 

tir<-]v  a  matter  of  funds-"  if  finally."  hv  frankly  told 
Mr    Tcnnont,  "  Money  cannot  be  raised  to  build  the 
Ilouse  [i.  c,  Nassau  Hall  1  and  to  Support  the  Neecssary 
officers,  the  tiling'  must  of  course  prove  Abortive."    Just 
before  the  College  moved  to  I'rineeton  he  presented  to 
it  his  library  of  about  five  hundred  volumes,  in  addition 
to  his  carved  and  gilded  coat  of  arms,  his  own  full  length 
portrait  that  stood,  as  he  said,  "  in  what  is  called  the 
blue  chamber  in  my  House,"  and  the  ten  framed  por- 
trait heads  of  kings  and  queens  of  England  that  had 
hung  over  the  mantel  in  his  library.    Of  all  these  treas- 
ures only  one  of  his  books  is  still  in  the  possession  of 
the  University. 

Yale  is  the  mother  of  Princeton  in  so  far  as  early 
presidents  and  trustees  are  concerned ;  but  to  this  grad- 
uate of  Har\'ard  more  than  to  any  other  one  man  Prince- 
ton owes  her  material  being.    It  is  only  fair  to  add  that 
Governor  Belcher  granted  no  franchise  or  privilege  not 
already  conferred  by  Hamilton.    But  if  there  had  been 
any  question  as  to  the  validity  of  the  Hamilton  charter, 
Governor  Belcher  undoubtedly  legalized  the  existence  of 
the  College  by  his  grant.    Besides  this,  he  increased  the 
number  of  '  'ustees  from  twelve  to  twenty-three,  and, 
while  he  did  not  prescribe  any  proportion  between  the 
lay  and  the  clerical  membership,  he  raised  the  number 
of  laymen  from  three  in  the  first  charter  to  eleven  in 
his  own.     Thus  he  gained  for  the  board  r>  larger  con- 
stituency and  at  the  same  time  secured  the  invaluable 
support' of  the  laity.    Herein  lies  the  second  great  im- 
provement of  his  charter  over  Hamilton's.    Moreover, 
he  associated  with  the  predominant  Presbyterian  ele- 
ment in  the  board  representatives  of  at  least  three  other 
religious   communions.     The   trustees   under   the   first 
charter  were  all  Presbyterians.    Furthermore,  by  placing 


THE  TWO  CIIAKTKRS 


29 


on    the    goviTiiins    board    raorf    roprcscntativos    from 
.nlonirs  otiicr  than  Now  Jersey  and  by  inducing  the 
trustees  to  loeatr  the  College  on  the  border  line  between 
i:a>^t  and  West  Jersey  he  united  New  York  and  Phila- 
delphia influences,  and  those  of  New  England  and  the 
South ;  while,  in  his  selection  of  lay  trustees— the    hicf 
justice  of  Pennsylvania,  the  leading  lawyer  in  New  York, 
iind  four  of  the  provincial  council  of  New  Jersey— he 
combined  civil  with  ecclesiastical  tendencies,  allied  the 
College  with  the  state  as  closely  as  with  the  church,  and 
thus,  besides  fostering  it  as  a  nursery  of  colonial  min- 
isters, prepared  the  way  for  Witherspoon  and  his  school 
of  statesmen.    In  a  very  true  sense,  therefore,  he  fur- 
thered the  nationalization  of  the  College,  and  embodying 
in  the  terms  of  his  charter  the  liberal  provisions  of  the 
Hamilton  grant  brought  closer  to  realization  the  long 
dreamed  hopes  of  the  original  promoters.     And  finally, 
he  laid  the  foundation  of  financial  stability  for  the  Col- 
lege  by   obtaining  recommendations   from   the   church 
most  interested  in  it ;  he  turned  to  the  use  of  the  College 
his  high  connections  in  England  by  giving  Tennent  and 
Davies  introductions  that  enabled  them  to  secure  dona- 
tions from  various  sources  not  only  in  England  but  also 
in  Scotland  and  in  Ireland,  and  thus  aided  in  no  small 
degree  in  making  Nassau  Hall  "  a  monument  of  the 
united  gifts  of  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland  to  the 
cause  of  Christian  learning  in  America."^ 

Implied  in  all  this  is  the  inescapable  fact  that  the 
founders  of  Princeton  University  organized  it  on  the 
broad  basis  of  a  studium  generate,  as  a  place  where 
liberal  studies  might  be  pursued  by  all  who  cared  to  go 

'  C.    W.    Shields,    "  The    '^rigin    of    Princeton   University,"    in 
"  Mpniorial  Book  of  the  Sesquicentennial  Celebration  of  the  Found- 
ing of  the  College  of  New  Jersey."    New  York,  1898,  p.  455.    Dr. 
I'.ir-innfi  are  summarized  in  the  foregoing  paragraph. 


«i,i.^i,ic' 


irjnf^ 


if 


30  COLLEOK  OP  NEW  JERSEY 

thith.T,  They  devised  it  neither  as  a  eluirch  nor  as  a 
state  institution,  but  Rave  it,  through  its  chart-T.  re 
sponsible  academic  liberty.  And  histly,  they  bequeathed 
to  it  praeticailv  absohite  autonomy  to  manage  its  owTi 
affairs,  to  elect' its  own  ofiieers,  to  frame  and  administer 
its  own  laws,  the  ex  olficio  presence  of  the  governor  on 
the  board  of  trustees  being  the  only  external  cheek. 
These  privileges,  guaranteed  l)y  both  .  barters,  are  not 
to  be  ignor.'d  when  considering  the  assumption  of  the 
university  title  by  the  College  in  189G. 


II 

THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 

The  First  Commcnccmont.  IxKution  nt  I'rinroton.  Ruilding 
Ni^^iiu  Hall.  Uov.rnor  HoUIht  un.l  Pr.nid.nt  IJurr.  I'r.^ul.iit 
IMwiinN.  AdmiiiiHtration  of  rrcsident  Davks.  Administration 
111  I'ri'jfidi'iit  Finloy. 

The  formal  records  of  the  CoUego  begin  with  the 
minutes  of  a  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees  h<  Id  at 
N.w  l?nins\viek  on  October  13,  1748.  one  month  after 
the  chiirter  finally  passed  the  Gn-at  Seal.  Thirteen  of 
the  trustees  were  present,  "  who  having  Accepted  the 
Cliarter,  were  qualified  and  Incorporated  According  to 
tliL-  Direction  thereof,"  by  taking  the  three  customary 
prescribed  oaths,  first  the  one  appointed  by  "  An  Act 
for  the  further  security  of  his  ^Majesty's  person  and 
government,  and  the  succession  of  the  Crown  in  the  heirs 
of  the  late  Princess  Sophia,  being  protestants,  and  for 
extinguishing  the  hope  of  the  pretended  Prince  of 
Wales";  second,  the  oath  required  by  an  act  of  Par- 
li;unent  "  preventing  dangers  which  may  happen  from 
popish  recusants  ":  and  the  third,  an  oath  to  adminis- 
ter faithfully  the  trust  reposed  in  them  by  the  charter. 

After  electing  a  clerk  the  board  proceeded  to  vote 
an  address  of  thanks  to  Governor  Belcher,  to  which  he 
sent  an  appropriate  reply.  The  board  then  adjourned 
to  meet  at  Newark  on  Commencement  Day,  November  9. 
On  this  date  seventeen  trustees,  including  the  governor, 
assembled  and  five,  with  the  governor,  took  the  oaths. 
^Iv.  Burr  was  then  formally  elected  president  according 
to  arraneement.  and  he  was  "  pleased  modctly  to  ac- 

81 


I' 

e 


1 


32  THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 

nf  "  his  election.    The  board  then  adjourned  to  attend 
hffirsr  ommoncernent  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey 
ixf  solemn  procession,  headed  by  the  six  members  of 

through  which  the  governor  and  the  P^esi^em  p 

prayer  by  *«  P«»f  ^J  ^-^  Majesty's  Royal  Charter 

"'^   St  the  Tn^teesof  the  College  of  New  Jersey." 
granted  to  the  1™''^"  sufficient  solemnity  and 

This  eere,nony  ^^  '  ^"  ™^  ^^^^g.,  proceedings,  and 

.Jral''  an  elegant  Oration  in  the  Latin  Tongue, 
inaugural,      ^^ J'^fl  j^^  j^ig^ory  of  education 

delivered  memonter      tracing^n  y    ^„i,,ersities, 

custlmary  disputations  by  the  graduating  class,  on  theo- 
Cal  and  phLophical  topics  ^^^^^^^^^^ 
The  president  then  demanding  of  the  trus^^^^  ^° 


m% 


aff^^S^'MJF^iSi'-??' 


FIRST  COMMENCEMENT 


33 


from  the  pulpit  and  "  being  seated  with  his  Head  cov- 
ered received  them  two  by  two;  and  according  to  the 
Authority  to  him  committed  by  the  Royal  Charter,  after 
the  manner  of  the  Academies  in  England  "  admitted 
the  candidates  to  the  degree.  Public  recognition  of  the 
governor's  services  was  then  made  the  climax  of  the 
occasion  and  the  honorary  degree  of  master  of  arts  was 
conferred  on  him.  The  exercises  concluded  with  a  Latin 
Salutatory  by  Daniel  Thane  of  the  graduating  class, 
and  prayer  by  the  president. 

The  occasion  had  been  one  of  fitting  and  impressive 
academic  dignity    -r  which  the  governor  was  largely 
responsible.     He  x.ad  intimated  to  Mr.  Burr  the  pro- 
priety, aside  from  his  own  desire,  of  "  a  wise  Frugality  " 
at   commencement  ceremonies,   and  an  elimination  of 
"  the  Too  Common  Extravagances  and  Debauchery  "  of 
such  occasions,  which  in  his  opinion  would  be  "  no  honor 
to  what  may  laudably  pride  itself  in  being  called  a 
Seminary  of  Religion  and  Learning."    His  must  have 
been  the  most  radiant  face  in  the  whole  company.    His 
great  desire  had  been  attained,  the  College  was  a  reality 
and  possessed  an  adequate  charter,  and  with  just  enough 
of  academic  ritual  to  give  the  ceremony  the  weight  in 
public  esteem  that  the  cause  of  higher  education  in  the 
province  demanded,  the  first  degrees  had  been  conferred 
and   the   College   of  New   Jersey   was  started   on   its 

career. 

The  responsibilities  of  the  trustees  had,  however,  just 
begun;  there  was  still  plenty  of  unfinished  business; 
and  when  commencement  exercises  were  over  the  board 
met  again  at  Mr.  Burr's  house  to  consider  and  adopt 
the  necessary  code  of  rules  and  orders  which  the  presi- 
dent had  drawn  up  for  the  government  of  the  insti- 
tution.   Requirements  for  admission  were  laid  down; 


m 


M^M 


4. 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 


! 
1 


1  conditions  of  ^^^^^  :^^^ ^  '"l 

lege  laws  of  ^'^^'f!"'  ^^         ^^^,,,,a  that  Commencc- 
college  fees  ^verc  settled;  It^^as  ccc  ^  ^^^^^^      i„ 

„.ent  Day  hereafter  should  be  ^^^  f  ^  J^^,,,  , Jted. 
September;  a  seal -« 

One  suspects  that  tne  govu  ^^^^^_  -u^  for  the  rcso- 
of  the  value  of  pubhe>.y  "-/  ,7  ^'^  ,,,creiscs  be 
lution  that  a  full  ''«°™'  "^  he  napers  ■    Plans  for 

-e  selceted  to  -"^J^rrr^uttM  to-day  than 

passed  >tm  a  remarl.  that  «  no  -  now  .ant  i.  a 

it  was  then,      the  i  nuLu  expensive 

„  rundto  enable  ..   "J-^lt^e/to  ap- 

tery;  but  the   «''^"'%, .,   -.^.^  ^ia.    Meanwhile,  some 
lottery  was  drawn  m  FhiiaQcipnid. 

£800  had  been  collected.  permanent 

,  r  iorr  Conet  "r  Bether!'  ho.over, 
location  for  the  ^^oiie^t.  importance 

,,a  no  intention  to  ^^^7^^^^^^^^^^^^  Lee  of 

to  drop  out  of  sight.    ijc^^"°°  f.^orcd  New 

Princeton;   but   several   ^^J^'^'^'Xosoniovihone^t 

BrunswiC,  ar^  ^J^^^^^er,^^^^^^^^^^^  ordered 

eommencement.    In  S^PtemDe  ,  ^^^^^^^,;,^  and 

that  proposals  be  made  to  ^^^^  ^vvouUl  give  in  return 
Princeton,  asking  what  bonus  each  would  gl^o 

1  hv  William  Smith,  ntid  was  pub- 
.The  account  was  prcpa_ml^by^^^^^^^^^^^^        ^1.  1748. 

lished  lU  me  Aw  it-^-      


f— 


LOCATION  AT  PRINCETON 


35 


for  the  locating  of  the  College,  and  in  the  following 
year,  1751,  it  was  voted  that  New  Brunswiek  be  chosen, 
provided  the  inhabitants  secured  £1000  proclamation 
money,  ten   acres  of  cleared  land   contiguous  to  the 
proposed  college  buildings,  and  two  hundred  acres  of 
woodland  not  more  than  three  miles  from  town.    But  the 
village  of  Princeton  had  not  been  inactive  and  at  this 
n.jeting  submitted  a  counter  offer.    A  committee  of  the 
trustees  was  appointed  to  view  both  sites  and  to  report. 
Tlie  leisureliness  of  the  proceedings  consumed  the  next 
year,  and  it  was  the  governor's  turn  to  chafe  at  the 
delay.    He  had  had  thirty  years'  experience  as  an  over- 
seer of  Harvard  College  and  he  was  thoroughly  familiar 
with  the  extreme  caution  of  academic  gov  rning  bodies 
whose  members  lived  scattered  over  wide  areas,  with  un- 
certain means  of  locomotion  and  communication,  and  his 
letters  show  his  constant  attempt  to  keep  the  trustees 
stirring.    He  knew  that  the  all-necessary  funds  could  be 
coaxed  more  easily  if  the  College  had  a  permanent  home 
and  some  outward  and  visible  sign  of  its  inward  graces. 
So  at  the  meeting  of  September,  1752,  he  took  the  bull 
by  the  horns  and  addressed  a  letter  to  the  board  which, 
although  entirely  moderate  in  tone,  nevertheless  was  a 
plain  hint  that  he  desired  action.    He  pointed  out  again 
the  absolute  necessity  of  erecting  a  building  for  lodging 
tlie  students,  and  a  house  for  the  president  and  his 
family ;  he  remarked  that  already  the  College  had  grown 
until  it  was  unwieldy  in  its  present  situation ;  the  con- 
ditions were  totally  inadequate  to  the  circumstances ;  it 
w%as  a  ease  of  the  bed  being  shorter  than  that  a  man 
could  stretch  himself  upon  it  and  the  covering  narrower 
than  that  he  could  wrap  himself  in  it;  furthermore,  it 
had  been  his  observation  that  colleges  grew  faster  when 
they  had  abiding  homes  of  their  own;  as  for  himself 


3  t 


'♦,  . 


^' 


1 


3G 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 


he  had  passed  the  stated  period  of  human  life,  and  like 
the  eastern  prince  of  old  he  might  say  his  days  were 
extinct  and  his  grave  ready;  but,  if  he  could  still  be 
serviceable  to  this  seminary  of  religion  and  learning,  it 
would  give  him  pleasure  in  life  and  comfort  in  death. 

Tiiere  was  something  touching  in  the  governor's  de- 
votion to  this  child  of  his  old  age,  something  almost 
pathetic  in  his  eagerness  to  see  it  firmly  settled  in  its 
own  abode  before  he  passed  away;  and  his  final  appeal 
was  not  in  vain.    New  Brunswick  had  not  complied  with 
tlie  terms  and  was  dropped  from  further  consideration 
The  people  of  Princeton,  on  the  other  hand    had  ex- 
pressed their  readiness  to  accept   the  conditions  laid 
down  by  the  board,  and  it  was  voted  to  locate  the  College 
at  Princeton  when  these  conditions  should  be  fulfilled 
They  were  the  same  as  those  offered  to  New  Brunswick 
with  the  further  stipulation  that  one-half  of  the  money 
consideration  was  to  be  paid  when  the  foundation,  were 
laid,  and  the  balance  six  months  later,  all  the  conditions 
to  be  accepted  within  six  months,  or  the  bid  forfeited  * 

By  January  (1753)  the  terms  of  the  agreement  had 
been  met,  with  the  exception  of  the  mere  formality  of 
passing  a  deed  for  the  plot  of  ground  on  "  the  broad 
street  where  it  is  proposed  that  the  College  shall  be 
built."  This  plot,  400  feet  long  by  490  feet  deep 
was  the  gift  of  Mr.  Nathaniel  FitzRandolph,  a  Quaker 
resident  to  whom,  after  Governor  Belcher,  the  final  set- 
tlement on  Princeton  was  chiefly  due.  When  Governor 
Hamilton  had  granted  the  first  charter,  Mr.  FitzRan- 
dolph at  once  set  about  securing  the  College  for  Prinee- 

'The  move  to  Princeton  was  earnestly  opposed  by  the  Pres- 
byterians of  Newark,  beeausc  it  meant  tl.e  departure  of  th!ir 
pastor.  Mr.   Burr;   and  an   inefTectual   petition  was  presented  to 

Newirk     "isr''^'"^";^  <'";f^""^^«  '«   per„.aneHti;  located  a? 
JNewark.     (Shippen  Letters,  Penna.  Historical  Society.) 


:M.r 


**^':ui 


■T?rr-=^«- 


NATHANIEL  FitzRANDOLPH 


«  00.  The  Ll  r' r  °"'i  ^'°'"  p'--'™  -™ 

■I  lit  iiiiposmg  gateway  faeintr  Nfl««5,„  ttoh  • 
consp  cuous  mnniim««+  *    xi        ^^^-^^fe  ^>assau  Hall  is  a 

was  MM  »?;^„tt„    eTa„7 fortv* "  "''  '""^ 
more  consonant  with  .!,„  „  ^  ^^"'^  "8".  « 

man.  If,  a"l  beW ,  ^  k'"™""'°«  "'^''"'"  "'  «•« 
sealed  behind  the  ^Ihlrf  u  T  """>«■■'«■<)  graves  and 
to  which  he  gave  1  home*       '""  '^^^^  "'  '"»  "^^^e 

s.;%r-t:--in^»£?-X^^^^^ 

"birted  its  western  borders  l!  w  it  ,  Tf  ^"^"^ 
»nd  the  discredited  Laurence  LrmthTn  th"'""  't^ 
memory  of  men  still  living  in  m,  i,  '.°  ""I  P""^'"" 
lase  had  been  a  frontier  reliin  .  '  /'"  °'  "■"  "'" 
'■.V  paths  Imown  on  vtrfhr  ."''*"'  ''"''''''  "'''''"^'"i 
"I  Which  going  east  lndw*t\,™''  ""'  "<"•  "'■•«' 
1'i.hway,  'the   ■■  bid  ,t"eet  "''/T'  '^■''°  ""  ""^'^ 

•J-y,    In  this  regio^llTet  th"    t fo  ^^^^If  °""':^ 
frration  into  tho  nrn,M„  ^  '^^^'^  ^^  'rami- 

horsey,  the  other  TZVe^heX^"' ^"'"^  ■■'''°  ""''' 

™  me  Head  of  navigation  on  the 


^"s'rj^.jr  ■. 


\W' 


m 


38  THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 

Delaware  into  West  Jersey.    By  the  middle  of  the  eight- 
eenth centur>'  the  village  consisted  of  soMiewhat  less  than 
threescore  houses  scattered  along  the  thoroughfare,  with 
a  well-found  tavern  or  two,  where  all  travelers  knew 
they  might  break  their  journey  in  comfort.    Opposite  the 
thickest  clustering  of  the  houses  lay  the  FitzRandolph 
land.    The  romance  and  pageant  of  colonial  life  passed 
back  and  forth  along  the  highway  ;  on  that  stage  some  ot 
the  early  scenes  in  the  drama  of  the  Revolution  were  soon 
to  be  acted ;  and  so  situated,  the  College  could  not  avoid 
the  destiny  of  sharing  in  many  an  accident  of  contempo- 
rary history,  which,  even  when  not  important,  was  still 

picturesque. 

Small  though  the  village  was,  there  were  wealthy  land- 
owners and  men  of  provincial  prominence  residing  m 
the  community.    The  bond  of  £1000  demanded  by  the 
College  was  signed  by  John  Hornor,  a  Quaker;  Judge 
Thomas  Leonard,  a  trustee,  and  Judge  John  Stockton, 
whose  son  Richard  had  been  graduated  in  the  first  class, 
in  1748     The  prospective  importance  of  the  College  to 
the  community  was  at  once  indicated  by  a  rise  in  Prince- 
ton land  values.    Extant  correspondence  reveals  sharp 
dealing,  and  the  trustees  were  forced  to  buy  up  land 
adjoining  the  FitzRandolph  gift  to  save  the   College 
from  being  hemmed  in  by  undesirable  neighbors.    W  ith 
the  funds  in  hand,  however,  and  the  money  pledged  they 
felt  justified  in  proceeding  with  their  plans.    But  a  year 
and  a  half  elapsed  before  ground  was  broken  (July  29, 
1754)  and  on  September  17,  1754,  the  first  cornerstone 
was  laid.    The  plan  of  the  principal  buildmg  and  that 
of  the  president's  house  were  drawn  by  Mr.  Robert 
Smith  of  Philadelphia,  architect  of  the  State  House,  and 
by  Dr.  Shippen,  also  of  Philadelphia.     The  stone  for 
the  walls  of  Na.ssau  Hall  was  obtained  from  a  local 


Wm:  .#■ 


r  W5r  ' 


,_v,  ^.(^; 


-'%M.^ 


;C' ■ .  m^^..^:>\j  ^-km^^mm^^m :  i 


N.A?^r^. 


« 


in 


H      S 


o 


bo 

:^      a 


as 


J 
J 


■t! 

a 

o 


'0^ 


<i7r 


^•v: 


NASSAU  HALL 


39 


quarry.     The   Reverend   Ezra  Stiles,   passing  through 
Princeton  at  this  time,  measured  the  foundations  and 
recorded  their  dimensions  three   times  in   his  diary,' 
with  a  drawing,  which  is  the  only  contemporarj'  plan 
in  existence.     The  foundations  were  one  hundred  and 
seventy-seven  feet  long,  fifty-three  and  two-thirds  feet 
wide,  with  a  rear  extension  of  fifteen  feet  in  length  and 
some  thirty-six  feet  in  width  and  a  front  extension  of 
three  or  four  feet;  the  corridors  were  ten  feet  wide. 
There  were  three  entrances,  one  on  each  side  of  the 
central  entrance.    The  basement  contained  sixteen  rooms, 
and  the  three  stories  forty-four  rooms  in  all,  exclusive 
of  the  hall  or  chapel,  and  the  whole  was  surmounted  by 
a  low   cupola.     These  sixty   apartments  included   the 
rooms  of  students,  recitation  rooms,  refectory,  kitchen, 
library,  etc.    The  roof  was  pitched  in  November,  1755. 
Dr.  Stiles  asserts  that  it  was  at  this  time  the  largest 
stone  edifice  in  the  colonies.    The  building  was  planned 
to  hold  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  students,  reckoning 
three  to  a  room,  but  not  more  of  it  was  finished  than 
was  needed.*     Everything,  said  Mr.  Burr,  was  being 
done  in  the  plainest  and  cheapest  manner  as  far  as  was 
consistent  with  decency  and  convenience,  and  "  having 
no  superfluous  Ornaments."    The  cost  of  the  building 
itself  was  about  £2,900.     The  contract  price  for  the 
president's  house  was  £600,  but  it  cost  over  that  sum. 

But  in  January,  1753,  when  the  Princeton  sito  was 
finally  agreed  upon,  beside  mere  buildings  there  were 
other  expenses  to  be  met,  such  as  endowment  for  salaries, 
for  general  equipment,  and  for  the  establishment  of  a 
fund  for  needy  students.  Long  ago  the  trustees  had 
cast  their  eyes  on  Great  Britain.    Governor  Belcher  had 

»  Proceedings  Mass.  Hist.  Soc,  March  10,  1892. 
2  The  building  was  not  completed  until  1762. 


:.:  .r#_r%'  /-ti 


^•^-S:^.1r^:^;§&ujv.^. 


I 

c 

t 

I 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 


./ 


40 

written  in  1747  to  friends  abroad,  liopinR  to  Ret  dona- 
tions   and  in  1749  the  trustees  had  avaih'd  themselves 
of  the  services  of  two  Rentlemen,  Colonel  Williams  and 
Air   Jeremiah  Allen,  who  had  volunteered  to  solicit  aid 
while   in   England,     (lovernor   Heleher  and   President 
Burr   wrote   letters   of   introduction   for   them   to   the 
Countess  of  Huntington.  George  Whit.'fieM's  patroness, 
and  according  to  h.'r  biographer  considerable  sums  were 
collected  through  her  agency;  but  no  record  exists  ot 
the  receipt  of  any  such  moneys,  nor  does  her  name  even 
occur  in  the  minutes  of  the  board  of  trustees  as  having 
been  instrumental  in  securing  funds  for  the  College.    It 
would  seem  that  her  interest  brought  no  direct  financial 
results     By  September,  1750,  the  trustees  had  received 
no  accounts  of  the  Williams- Allen  effort,  and  Whitefield 
who  had  shown  deep  interest  in  the  College,  explained 
to  Mr    Tennent  that  all  was  ready  for  harvesting  the 
results  when  Mr.  Allen  died  of  fever  and  the  whole 
scheme  fell  through.    Whitefield  suggested  that  Presi- 
dent  Burr  or  IVIr.  Pemberton  visit  Great  Britain  on 
behalf  of  the  College.    The  board  agreed  to  the  sugges- 
lion  and  Mr.  Pemberton  was  willing  to  go,  but  his  con- 
gregation objected.    Mr.  Burr  then  reluctantly  agreed 
to  make  the  trip,  but  no  one  could  be  found  to  manage 
the  College  in  his  absence,  and  finally  in  September 
1753,  the  two  trustees,   Gilbert  Tennent   and  Samuel 
Davies,  were  commissioned. 

Mr  Davies  was  characteristically  pessimistic  over  the 
trip; 'he  was  entering,  he  said,  on  the  "  most  surpris- 
ing  and  unexpected  step  "  of  his  life;  what  would  be 
the  consequence  he  knew  not,  but  he  declared  that  at 
times  he  had  "  very  gloomy  prospects  about  it.  Ana 
when  he  saw  a  letter  from  London,  remarking  that  the 
"  principles  inculcated  in  the  College  of  New  Jersey  are 


■■■if — iy_-«-»'  -  ■•  * 


'i#^i«y?yt.'i^^*^i&*: 


NAMING  THE  BUILDING 


41 


generally  looked  upon  as  antiquated  and  unfashionable 
by  the  Dissenters  in  England,"  he  felt  it  a  dismal  omen 
for  the  embassy  on  which  he  and  Mr.  Tennent  were 
embarking.'  But  their  mission,  nevertheless,  was  a  com- 
plete success.  The  exact  sum  collected  is  not  recorded. 
It  was  over  £3,200,  raised  chielly  by  church  collections 
in  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland.  The  story  of  the 
mission  is  preserved  in  Mr.  Davies'  diary,  of  which  one 
volume  in  the  original  manuscript  is  in  the  library  of 
Princeton  University.  The  whole  diary  is  published  in 
Foote's  "  Sketches  of  Virginia." 

At  the  September  meeting  of  the  board  at  Newark, 
in  1755,  the  governor  having  presented  his  library,  his 
portrait  and  coat  of  arms,  and  the  royal  portraits,  the 
board  made  him  in  sonorous  terms  an  address  of  thanks, 
which  closed  with  the  following  words:  "  As  the  Col- 
lege of  New  Jersey  views  you  in  the  light  of  its  Founder, 
Patron  and  Benefactor;  and  the  impartial  World  will 
esteem  it  a  Respect  deservedly  due  to  the  Name  of 
Belcher;  permit  us  to  dignify  the  Edifice  now  erecting 
at  Princeton,  with  that  endeared  Appellation.  And 
when  your  Excellency  is  translated,  to  a  House  not  made 
ivith  Hands,  eternal  in  the  Heavens,  Let  Belcher-Hall 
proclaim  your  beneficent  Acts,  for  the  advancement  of 
Christianity  and  Emolument  of  the  Arts  and  Sciences, 
to  the  latest  Ages." 

But  the  shrewd  old  governor  was  not  caught  off  his 
guard,  and  a  year  later  at  commencement  in  September, 
1756,  the  last  held  at  Newark,  his  reply  was  delivered 
to  the  board,  expressing  his  appreciation  of  the  honor 
the  trustees  would  do  him,  but  suggesting  that  the  build- 
ing be  named  Nassau  flail  and  thus  keep  ever-living  tes- 
timony to  "  the  Honour  we  retain,  in  this  remote  Part 

>  New  Jersey  Historical  ^^ociety  Proceedings,  Vol.  VI,  p.  170. 


■'^yk^^r'^    'J- 


Ift^^^^ 


42 


THE  C'lLOMAL  I'KRIOU 


of  tho  Glolio,  to  thi'  immortal  Memory  of  th<'  rjloriouH 
Kinj;  William  thr  Tliinl  who  uas  a  Brunch  of  the  illus- 
trious House  of  Nassau." 

The  j?ovemor's  liint  was  a  command,  and  a  resolution 
was  at  once  passed  in  the  foUowiujf  terms:  "  Whereas 
his  Exeelleney  Governor  Hcleher  has  si<?nified  to  us  his 
declining  to  have  tin  Iviitiee  we  have  lately  erected  at 
Princeton  for  the  Usr  and  Service  of  New  Jersey  Col- 
lego  to  be  called  after  his  Name,  and  .las  desired  and 
for  Good  Reasons  that  it  should  be  called  after  the  Name 
of  the  illustrious  House  of  Nassau,  It  is  therefore  voted, 
and  is  hereby  ordered  that  the  said  Edifice  be  in  all 
Time  to  come  called  and  Known  by  the  Name  of  Nas- 
sau Ilall."^ 

This  name  soon  bccaiiio  so  generally  associated  with 
the  College  that  in  early  records,  and  indeed  until  the 
time  of  the  Civi)  War,  it  is  common  to  find  the  insti- 
tution called,  even  officially,  ''  Na.ssau  Hall,"  or  simply 
"  Nassau."  After  the  erection  of  East  and  West  Col- 
leges the  name  "  North  College  "  came  into  use,  being 
later  familiarized  into  "  Old  North."  In  recent  years 
custom  and  official  nomenclature  have  reverted  to  the 
original  name. 

The  meeting  of  the  board  in  September,  1755,  is  in- 
teresting not  alone  because  it  gave  a  name  to  the  main 
college  building.  Looking  forward  to  tho  life  of  the 
College  under  new  conditions,  the  board  had  empowered 
the  committee  in  charge  of  tho  Princeton  arrangements 
to  engage  a  steward  and  a  butler,  "  and  to  settle  Com- 
mons," and  at  the  meeting  in  1755  Jonathan  Baldwin 
of  Princeton,  and  a  member  of  the  graduating  class,  was 
appointed  to  the  thankless  post  of  college  steward.  He 
hold  the  position  for  seventeen  years,  the  first  incumbent 
'  Minutes  of  the  board  of  trustees. 


cir 


TIIK  STEWARD 


43 


i.r  nn  oflico  which  oxistcd  just  a  century.  There  is  little 
inciition  of  the  college  butler  in  the  records,  but  the 
.steward  and  his  rnultifariou.s  duties  were  constantly  step- 
ping into  the  light  of  critical  publicity.  Next  to  the 
president  he  was  tlie  (ihief  executive  of  the  College.  His 
principal  task  of  course  was  to  maintain  the  college 
diuing-rooui,  and  he  was  reciuired  periodically  to  give 
bond  that  he  would  .supply  good  board  at  a  stipulated 
rate.  Hut  in  addition  he  collected  board  bills,  tuition 
fees,  and  room  rent,  and  as  long  as  the  prayer-hall  con- 
tinued to  be  the  village  church  he  also  collected  pew 
rents.  lie  sold  text-books,  he  cleaned  the  college  chim- 
neys, and  was  a  guardian  of  the  belfry  and  especially  of 
the  bell-rope,  that  ever  lurking  temptation  to  mischievous 
scholars.  He  hired  the  college  servants  -ad  sometimes 
even  paid  the  tutors.  lie  dispatched  txpi^sses  after  lag- 
gard  or  forgetful  trustees  at  times  of  special  meetings. 
He  purchased  college  furniture,  on  one  occasion  being 
directed  to  procure  "  one  good  low  Back'd  Windsor 
Chair,  and  one  Dozen  of  common  black  Chairs  "  for  the 
use  of  the  trustees  at  their  meetings.  What  with  bad 
debts,  overdue  fees,  grasping  merchants,  and  a  defective 
system  of  bookkeeping,  his  accounts  were  continually 
nwry,  and  it  was  seldom  that  his  affairs  were  not  the 
subject  of  consideration  at  trustee  meetings. 

It  was  apparent  by  December,  1755,  that  the  buildings 
would  cost  more  than  had  been  estimated,  but  Mr.  Burr 
expected  to  complete  them  and  have  a  balance  of  £1,600, 
and  he  hoped  to  secure  other  benefactions.  lie  wished 
to  appoint  a  professor  of  divinity  to  relieve  himself  of 
that  teaching  burden,  and  the  trustees  had  their  eyes 
on  his  father-in-law,  the  Reverend  Jonathan  Edwards. 
It  was  only  lack  of  funds  that  prevented  them  from 
calling  him  at  once. 


44 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 


The  work  at  Princeton  progressed  slowly,  but  by  Sep- 
tember, IT" '.  >au  Hall  was  sufficiently  completed  to 
be  occupied  and  the  board  directed  that  the  College  be 
transported  to  Princeton  that  autumn.  "With  about 
seventy  students,  President  Burr  accordingly  moved 
early  in  November.  Unfortunately,  no  description  of 
that  .ioyous  one-day  migration  has  come  to  light.  But 
Mr.  Burr's  private  account  book  shows  that  on  No- 
vember 13  ho  opened  the  record  of  formal  exercises  in 
Nassau  Hall  with  a  sermon  on  I'salm  cxix.  64. 

Thus  began  the  campus  life  which  was  to  be  so  char- 
acteristic of  Princeton.  Heretofore  the  students  had 
lived  in  private  lodgings  scattered  through  a  town; 
henceforth  they  were  to  live  together  in  a  little  road- 
side village,  a  large  academic  family,  sharing  a  common 
existence  under  a  single  roof.  Here  they  were  to  form 
customs  and  manners  and  mold  traditions,  features  of 
which  there  is  no  semblance  clinging  to  the  history  of 
the  Newark  period. 

A  memorandum  book  kept  by  Samuel  Livermore 
(1752),  a  little  sheaf  of  letters  from  Joseph  Shippen 
(1753)  to  his  father  Judge  Shippen  of  Philadelphia, 
the  contemporary  code  of  college  laws,  and  President 
Burr's  account  book  are  practically  the  only  known 
sources  of  information  as  to  student  life  at  Newark. 
At  first  the  undergraduates  lived  at  Mr.  Burr's  par- 
sonage, but  we  learn  from  Shippen  that  as  the  college 
grew  in  numbers  they  occupied  lodgings,  coming  to  the 
parsonage  for  college  exercises.  Already  in  1750  Ship- 
pen  says  that  he  and  his  room-mate  are  studying  in 
lodgings  "  abundantly  more  to  our  satisfaction  than  we 
should  do  at  School,"  meaning  presumably  the  parson- 
age. There  is  ground  for  the  belief  that  during  the  last 
year  or  two  of  the  Newark  period,  when  the  enrollment 


.■)riSXs«. 


EARLY  COLLEGE  LAWS 


45 


had  swollen  from  eight  to  seventy  and  the  congestion 
had  become  intolerable,  exercises  were  also  held  in  an 
adjoining  building.  Under  such  conditions  jurisdiction 
must  have  been  loose  and  discipline  hard  to  maintain; 
l)ut  contemporary  comment  on  the  administration  of 
the  laws  is  entirely  lacking.  It  must  have  been  easy  to 
cheek  up  attendance  at  morning  and  evening  compulsory 
prayers,  absence  from  which  meant  a  fine,  doubled  if 
the  truancy  occurred  on  Sunday,  when  each  student  was 
required  to  go  to  church.  Disrespect  to  the  president 
or  tutors,  or  absence  from  town  without  leave,  was 
finable  at  five  shillings  and  was  also  easy  to  detect ;  but 
one  wonders  how  Mr.  Burr  enforced  the  law  forbidding 
students,  under  pain  of  fine,  to  absent  themselves  from 
their  rooms  on  Saturday  and  Sunday  evenings,  except 
in  case  of  absolute  necessity,  or  on  other  days,  save  for 
half  an  hour  after  morning  prayers  and  recitation,  half 
an  hour  after  dinner,  and  from  evening  prayer  until 
nine ;  and  how  did  he  enforce  the  law  that  forbade  play- 
ing at  cards,  dice,  or  "  other  unlawful  games  "  under 
]if  nalty  of  five  shillings,  or  the  law  forbidding  the  carry- 
ing of  "  wine,  metheglin,  or  any  kind  of  distilled  spir- 
ituous liquor  into  one 's  room  ' '  ? 

Young  Shippen  was  such  an  earnest  student  that  his 
letters  to  his  father  consist  of  little  else  than  reports 
on  his  studies  and  requests  for  various  text-books.  He 
says  that  he  has  not  time  to  send  an  account  of  college 
life,  but  will  reserve  the  story  until  he  goes  home  for 
vacation,  with  the  result  that,  while  he  has  left  us  valu- 
able hints  as  to  the  curriculum,  he  has  left  nothing  about 
the  life  he  led  in  its  pursuit.  Portions  of  two  other 
letters  by  him  published  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  New 
Jersey  Historical  Society  consist  of  comments  on  the 
marriage  of  President  Burr.    The  freedom  and  maturity 


46 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 


-/ 


with  which  he  wrote  make  us  regret  only  the  more 
keenly  that  he  did  not  rob  his  education  of  one  hour 
and  send  his  father  the  account  desired.  It  would 
have  answered  a  dozen  questions  like  those  mentioned 
above. 

From  Samuel  Livcrraorc's  curious  little  volume  we 
may  learn  at  least  how  one  weU-born  youth  of  twenty 
came  down  from  Massachusetts  to  Newark  for  his  last 
year  at  College,  preparing  for  the  ministry',  which  he 
never  entered.     Against  the  nineteen-day  voyage  from 
Boston  to  New  York  he  laid  in  supplies  to  the  extent  of 
five  quarts  of  rum,  half  a  pound  of  tea,  a  dozen  fowls, 
two  pounds  of  sugar,  a  score  of  lemons,  and  three  pounds 
of  butter.     No  threadbare  clerk  of  Oxenford  was  he; 
his  wardrobe  consisted  of  two  close  coats,  one  great 
coat,  two  jackets,  thirteen  shirts,  seven  pairs  of  stock- 
ings, six  caps,  four  cravats,  three  handkerchiefs,  and 
one  pair  of  breeches.    And  though  he  was  not  the  pos- 
sessor of  "  Aristotle  and  his  philosophye  "  at  least  his 
library  contained  a  Bible,  a  Latin  and  Greek  Testament, 
a  Latin  and  Greek  grammar,  a  Latin  and  Greek  diction- 
ary, Ward's  "  Introduction  to  Mathematics,"  Gordon's 
"  Geography,"  a  Virgil,  and  a  Cicero — a  far  m:!e  com- 
plete outfit  than  the  average  student  brought  to  col- 
lege.   Amply  provided  with  funds,   young  Livermore 
became  in  a  manner  banker  to  the  College,  from  Mr. 
Burr  down.    Not  only  did  he  lend  the  president  money 
and  advance  cash  for  the  diplomas  given  at  commence- 
ment, buying  the  sheet  of  parchment  and  having  it  cut 
up  and  properly  engrossed,  but  he  also  paid  for  the 
commencement  programmes  or  list  of  theses  defended 
by  the  graduating  class.     Furthermore,  he  supplied  the 
seven  pounds  ten  shillings  which  defrayed  the  cost  of 
the  "  silver  Can,  a  gift  "  presented  by  the  senior  class 


COLLEGE  AT  xXEWARK 


47 


in  Juno,  1752,  to  "  Mr.  Praeses  "  Burr  as  a  wedding 
pift,  for  which  the  "  Revd.  Prcst.  by  short  Orat:  re- 
turned his  Thanks."  His  board  cost  eighty  cents  a 
wcok  and  his  total  expenses  for  the  college  year  were 
estimated  at  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  dollars. 

President  Burr's  private  account  book  throws  but 
little  light  on  the  College  at  Newark,  save  to  reveal  the 
paternalism  of  the  position  he  occupied.  He  supplied 
his  pupils  not  only  with  the  text-books  they  used,  but 
often  with  the  shoes  and  breeches  they  wore,  the  candles 
tlii'y  burned,  and  the  medicine  they  needed,  charging  the 
items  on  their  bills.  The  College  was  managed  like  a 
boarding  school,  of  which  he  was  the  headmaster,  send- 
ing his  statements  home  to  parents  at  irregular  intervals. 
The  removal  to  Princeton  imparted  at  once  a  sense  of 
maturity  and  responisible  identity,  and  inaugurated  a 
more  formal  system  of  business  management. 

The  removal  to  Princeton  also  closed  the  work  of  the 
two  men  who  had  done  most  to  bring  it  about.  Whether 
or  not  Governor  Belcher  ever  visited  Nassau  Hall  after 
its  occupation  is  not  known.  In  his  own  words,  it  had 
seemed  to  him  that  a  seminary  of  religion  and  learning 
should  be  promoted  in  the  province  "  for  the  better 
enlightening  the  minds  and  polishing  the  manners  of 
this  and  neighboring  colonies,"  and  this  he  had  during 
his  administration  been  "  honestly  and  heartily  prose- 
cuting in  all  such  laudable  ways  and  measures  "  as  he 
iiad  judged  most  likely  to  succeed.  But  however  close 
to  his  heart  he  may  have  held  the  College,  and  how- 
ever earnestly  Mr.  Burr  may  have  supported  his  hands, 
neither  of  them  was  to  be  permitted  more  than  a  glimpse 
of  the  promised  land  to  whose  borders  they  together 
liad  brouglit  it.  The  governor  was  an  old  man  when 
hv  came  to  the  Jerseys,  and  had  been  growing  feebler. 


msBgrngs^^i-mk^.ts^^M 


48 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 


1  • 


./ 


The  electrical  treatment  givon  him  by  President  Burr, 
who  had  a  machine  for  his  college  lectures  and  also  used 
the  globes  Benjamin  Franklin  had  sent  to  Mr.  Belcher, 
did  not  stay  the  creeping  paralysis  from  which  the  gov- 
ernor was  suffering,  and  he  died  on  ^iugust  31,  1757. 

Physically  frail  at  best,  Mr.  Burr  ■'vas  in  no  condi- 
tion to  withstand  the  shock.  In  mis'  ole  health  he  had 
just  returned  from  a  hasty  visit  to  Jonathan  Edwards 
at  Stockbridge,  and,  in  spite  of  the  hot  weather,  had 
immediately  hurried  to  Elizabeth  to  plead  with  the  gen- 
eral assembly  of  the  province  for  the  exemption  of  his 
collegians  from  military  service.  Ill  now  with  intermit- 
tent fever,  he  had  gone  on  to  Philadelphia  about  further 
college  business,  and  on  his  return  had  learned  of  the 
governor's  death.  Two  days  later,  when  he  preached 
the  funeral  sermon,  it  was  seen  that  he  was  fitter  for  his 
bed  than  for  his  pulpit;  he  could  scarcely  get  through 
the  task,  and  he  came  back  to  Princeton  in  1  asperate 
condition.  Public  commencement — the  first  at  Prince- 
ton— was  canceled  and  notice  served  that,  owing  to  the 
president's  illness,  the  exercises  would  be  private.  Four 
days  before  commencement  iie  died.  lie  was  forty-one 
years  old  and  had  been  president  ten  years. 

To  one  of  the  newer  dormitories  of  the  University 
the  name  of  Governor  Hamilton  has  been  given,  and 
President  Dickinson's  name  is  borne  by  a  recitation  hall, 
but  the  names  of  Governor  Belcher  and  President  Burr 
have — and  need — no  other  monument  than  Nassau  Hall, 
the  building  that  is  irrevocably  associated  with  their 
labors. 

Governor  Belcher's  character  and  work  have  been 
sufficiently  indicated  in  the  preceding  pages.  The 
quieter  and  less  conspicuous  work  of  Burr  was  equally 
valuable.    That  he  was  one  of  the  most  winsome  fisures 


«M« 


PRESIDENT  BURR 


49 


in  the  history  of  early  American  education  has  been 
universal  opinion.  The  slightness  of  his  stature,  his 
piercing  dark  eyes,  the  chiseled  delicacy  of  his  features, 
his  sagacity  and  gentle  graciousness,  and  the  transparent 
beauty  of  his  character  were  conspicuous;  and  coupled 
with  these  gifts  he  had  those  of  a  born  teacher.  Teach- 
iug,  said  Caleb  Smith,  who  had  sat  at  his  feet  as  a 
student  in  divinity  and  later  became  his  colleague,  was 
what  he  delighted  in.  It  was  the  allurement  of  his 
pupils'  possibilities  that  caught  his  fancy.  Not  what 
they  were  when  he  gave  them  their  diplomas,  but  what 
they  might  become  was  the  prize  he  played  for.  His 
scholarship  and  his  ideals  were  as  lofty  as  those  of 
Dickinson;  he  sought  not  to  make  ministers  only,  but 
public  servants  who  would  by  their  influence  and  use- 
fulness bring  honor  to  the  College  to  which  he  for  his 
part  had  devoted  the  best  years  of  his  life.  He  was 
"  modest  in  prosperity,  prudent  in  difficulty,  in  busi- 
ness indefatigable,  magnanimous  in  danger,  easy  in  his 
manners,  of  exquisite  judgment,  of  profound  learning, 
catholic  in  sentiment,  of  the  purest  morals  and  great 
even  in  the  minutest  things."  Funeral  eulogiums  are 
unsafe  foundations  on  which  to  build  estimates  of  char- 
acter, but  in  the  case  of  President  Burr  it  is  easy  to 
substantiate  practically  all  the  praise  that  was  uttered 
in  Nassau  Hall  over  his  dead  body.  If  Governors  Ham- 
ilton and  Belcher  made  Princeton  University  a  corpo- 
rate possibility,  President  Burr  made  the  College  of  New 
Jersey  a  reality.  He  drew  up  its  first  entrance  require- 
ments, its  first  course  of  study,  its  first  code  of  rules 
for  internal  government;  he  supervised  the  erection  of 
its  first  buildings  and  organized  its  life  under  the  new 
conditions;  and  he  created  its  first  treasury.  It  seems 
peculiarly  hard,  therefore,  that  he  should  have  been 


^/ 


50 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 


called  to  lay  down  his  work  just  as  he  reached  its 
consummation. 

The  Reverend  Jonathan  Edwards  of  Stockbridge  had 
frequently  been  consulted  by  Governor  Belcher  and  had 
been  coveted  by  the  trustees  as  a  professor  of  divinity 
for  the  College.  There  is  belief  also  that  Mr.  Burr, 
who  had  married  Mr.  Edwards'  daughter,  took  fre- 
quent counsel  with  him  in  college  affairs.  This  asso- 
ciation led  the  board,  the  day  after  that  melancholy  first 
commencement  at  Princeton,  to  elect  the  Stockbridge 
divine  the  successor  of  his  son-in-law.  ]\Ir.  Edwards  ac- 
cepted much  against  his  will.  He  was  not  at  all  sure 
that  he  could  handle  the  task.  "  First  my  own  defects," 
he  wrote  to  the  trustees,^  "  unfitting  me  for  such  an 
undertaking,  many  of  which  are  generally  known;  be- 
sides other,  which  my  heart  is  conscious  of.  I  have  a 
constitution,  in  many  respects  peculiarly  unhappy, 
attended  with  flaccid  solids;  vapid,  sizy  and  scarce 
fluids,  and  a  low  tide  of  spirits ;  often  occasioning  a  kind 
of  childish  weakness  and  contemptibleness  of  speech, 
presence  and  demeanor ;  with  a  disagreeable  dulness  and 
stiffness,  much  unfitting  me  for  conversation,  but  more 
especially  for  the  government  of  a  college.  This  makes 
me  shrink  at  the  thought  of  talcing  upon  me,  in  the 
decline  of  life,  such  a  new  and  great  business,  attended 
with  such  a  multiplicity  r"  --ares,  and  requiring  such  a 
degree  of  activity,  alertness,  and  spirit  of  government." 
Besides,  he  felt  an  unwillingness  to  put  himself  "  into 
an  incapacity  to  pursue  "  his  studies  and  writing,  nn 
unavoidable  condition  if  he  undertook  to  "go  through 
the  same  course  of  employ  in  the  office  of  a  president, 
that  Mr.  Burr  did."    He  felt,  moreover,  that  his  train- 

•  Letter  of  October  19,  1757,  in  his  "  Works,"  New  York,  1844, 
Vol.    I,   p.  49,  etc. 


msrsss- 


PRESIDENT  EDWARDS 


51 


ing  had  not  been  broad  enough  to  enable  hira  to  teach 
the  subjects  demanded  of  a  president.  lie  was  short 
in  mathematics  and  the  Greek  classics,  his  Greek  being 
limited  to  the  New  Testament.  But  he  would  be  willing 
to  take  upon  himself  the  duty  of  a  president  "  so  far  as 
it  consisted  in  the  general  inspection  of  the  whole  so- 
ciety," and  would  be  subservient  to  the  authorities  of 
the  institution,  i.e.,  the  trustees,  as  to  the  "  order  and 
inothod  of  study  and  instruction,"  assisting  "  as  dis- 
cretion should  direct  and  occasion  serve  "  in  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  arts  and  sciences,  especially  to  the  senior 
class.  He  would  gladly  lecture  on  divinity  to  graduate 
students  and  others,  proposing  questions  for  discussion 
and  written  reports.  He  did  not  care,  however,  to  teach 
the  languages,  which  would  "  now  be  out  of  my  way," 
save  perhaps  Hebrew,  which  he  was  willing  to  teach  so 
as  to  improve  himself. 

One  suspects  that  with  all  his  intellectual  pre-eminence 
Mr.  Edwards,  constitutionally  and  temperamentally, 
would  not  have  proved  a  very  successful  president  on 
the  administrative  side.  Certain  procedures  of  his  at 
Northampton  indicate  that  he  lacked  somewhat  in  dis- 
cretion and  in  practical  wisdom.  A  giant  in  the  realm 
of  thought,  he  was  neither  a  general  scholar  nor  an 
executive,  and  the  College  needed  just  then  as  its  head 
a  man  more  interested  in  education  than  in  theology. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  must  be  remembered  that  had 
Edwards  lived,  mediocre  executive  though  he  might  have 
been,  he  could  not  have  helped  becoming  a  tremendous 
intellectual  force  in  the  College  and  an  incomparable 
stimulus  to  students  who  came  beneath  his  sway.  Nor 
may  it  be  forgotten  that  the  mere  fact  of  his  acceptance 
of  the  presidency  and  his  entrance  upon  its  duties 
brought  unique  distinction  to  the  College  by  conferring 


■SwVW^i, 


'"^wtMw-pmi 


SITI*^^-- 


w^ 


A -<  ■ 


Mil 


-^Tj^'ii 


I. 

I 


52 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 


upon  it,  through  association,  the  luster  of  one  of  the 
world's  loftiest  minds. 

Mr.  Edwards  accepted  the  election,  and,  reaching 
Princeton  at  the  end  of  January,  1758.  qualified  as  presi- 
dent on  February  16  at  the  meeting  of  the  board  which 
he  attended.  A  week  later  he  was  inoculated  for  small- 
pox, and  on  March  22  he  died.  During  the  five  brief 
weeks  of  his  incumbency  he  preached  in  the  college 
chapel  and  met  the  class  in  divinity.  A  list  of  theo- 
logical questions  which  he  propounded  for  discussion 
and  report  is  still  extant.  But  beyond  this  he  did  little 
or  nothing.  There  was  some  force,  therefore,  in  Dr. 
McCosh's  criticism  of  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes'  famous 
line  in  the  Poem  delivered  at  the  two  hundred  and 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  Harvard  College. 
For,  granting  that  Jonathan  Edwards,  had  he  lived, 
might  have  "  stamped  his  iron  heel  "  on  "  Princeton's 
sands  "  (wherever  they  may  be),  he  was  not  in  Prince- 
ton long  enough  to  leave  any  impress  at  all  on  the  Col- 
lege. In  fact,  some  years  after  his  death  it  was  remarked 
with  serious  regret  by  certain  ecclesiastical  critics  that 
recent  Princetonian  candidates  for  the  ministry  were  not 
showing  a  sufficient  understanding  of  "  Calvinistic  lib- 
erty," a  doctrinal  calamity  which  would  not  have  hap- 
pened had  Mr.  Edwards  lived,  and  it  was  suggested  that 
Edwards  on  this  subject  be  made  a  text-book  for  the 
senior  class.  Princeton  has  naught  to  show  for  his 
administration,  save  the  glory  of  his  name  on  its  roll 
of  presidents,  his  tomb  in  the  village  graveyard,  and  the 
sheet  of  paper  mentioned  above — and  the  latter  un- 
for'unately  the  University  does  not  owti. 

Put  to  it  again,  the  board  in  April,  1758,  elected  to 
the  presidency,  but  not  unanimously,  the  Reverend  James 
Loekwood  of  Weathcrsficld,  Connecticut,    T;ike  the  first 


■:f 


PRESIDENT  DA  VIES  53 

three  presidents,  he  was  a  Yale  graduate.  Samuel 
Davics  of  Virginia  and  Samuel  Finlcy  of  Pennsylvania 
were  also  mentioned.  Mr.  Lockwood  deelined,  and  the 
board  gave  a  majority  vote  to  Davies ;  but  party  spirit 
ran  high ;  Finlcy  was  a  Log  College  alumnus ;  the  trus- 
tees were  divided,  and  Davies  too  declined,  so  the  matter 
was  laid  over  until  the  next  year.*  In  May,  1759,  both 
Davies  and  Finley  were  renominated,  and  at  length  the 
former  was  elected.  He  was  at  this  time  thirty-six 
years  old. 

A  condemned  criminal  could  not  have  approached  his 
doom  with  more  fear  and  trembling  than  did  Mr.  Davies 
approach  his  new  responsibilities.  "  A  Tremour  still 
seizes  me,"  he  wrote  while  waiting  for  commencement, 
when  he  was  to  be  inaugurated,  "  A  Tremour  still  seizes 
me  at  the  Tho't  of  my  Situation;  and  sometimes  I  can 
hardly  believe  it  is  a  reality,  but  only  a  frightful  por- 
tentous Dream."  Fearsomely  he  had  taken  up  the  work 
on  his  arrival  at  Princeton,  and,  although  he  had  found 
himself  the  head  of  "  a  peaceable  management,"  he 
thought  he  knew  human  nature  too  well  to  flatter  him- 
self with  expectations  of  a  continuance  of  peace.  He 
was  in  a  state  of  panic.  But  he  retained  presence  of 
mind  enough  to  fortify  his  soul  with  such  physical  com- 
forts as  the  evil  times  afforded,  and  he  ended  his  letter 
by  asking  his  correspondent,  a  trustee,  to  send  him  a 
supply  of  claret  and  beer,  forty  pounds  of  candles,  with 
two  candlesticks  and  snuffers,  one  large  china  bowl,  and 
an  English  cheese,  and  he  hopes  to  see  him  at  com- 
mencement, though  "  that  will  be  the  terrible  Day  of 
my  Mortification.  "2  The  other  side  of  the  picture  is 
given  by  Mr.  Joseph  Treat,  the  college  tutor,  who  was 


'N.  J. 
»  v.  J. 


Hist.  Soc.  Proceedings,  Vol.  VI,  p.   172. 
Hist.  Soe.  Proceedings,  Vol.  I,  p.  77. 


wi^ss^md'm^ 


I 

I 

1 


54 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 


writing  just  tho  day  before  in  very  tlilToroul  tone,  tliat 
things  were  going  on  "  in  a  pli'usini,'  uniforiiiity.  Mr. 
Davies  is  much  loved  and  respected  by  all.  His  per- 
suasion is  irresistible.     His  forcible  eloquence  c  irries 

all  before  it." 

Of  course,  the  president's  fean  were  groundless. 
Nothing  happened  at  connnencement  to  mortify  him,  and 
in  December  he  had  to  make  the  encouraging,  though 
reluctant,  admission  that  things  were  still  going 
"  Smooth  and  easy;  and  we  seem  at  least  to  have  so 
much  Goodness  as  to  love  one  another." 

At  their  first  meeting  with  President  Davies  the  trus- 
tees agreed  to  consider  means  for  enlarging  the  funds 
of  the  College  and  extending  its  usefulness,  and  it  was 
decided  to  raise  the  standard  of  the  bachelor's  degree. 
Ten  years  had  elapsed  since  the  regulations  for  degrees 
had  been  drawn,  and  the  president  was  ordered  to  pre- 
pare a  new  set.    The  problem  of  increasing  the  funds 
baffled  the  committee  to  which  it  was  referred,  and  con- 
sideration was  postponed.    It  was  much  easier  to  raise 
the  standards.    A  beginning  was  made  by  adding  arith- 
metic to  freshman  entrance  requirements;  residence  of 
two  years  was  to  be  exacted  normally  of  all  candidates 
for  the  bachelor's  degree,  or  if  a  candidate  presented 
himself  at  the  public  examination  held  at  commencement 
he  would  be  admitted  to  the  degree,  provided  he  were 
successful  in  the  examination  and  paid  two  years'  tuition 
fees.    Candidates  for  any  other  class  than  the  freshman 
would  be  received  not  on  examination,  but  on  actual 
trial  of  two  weeks,  and  would  remain  in  the  advanced 
class  or  drop  back  into  a  lower  one  according  to  their 
showing  in  the  trial. 

The  spirit  in  which  the  master's  degree  was  to  be 
administered  may  be  gathered  from  the  following  pre- 


".iSLZKE" 


LIBRARY 


55 


amble  to  the  regulation:  "  The  different  Degrees  .  .  . 
conferred  successively  at  different  Periods  suppose  a 
pruportional  Increase  of  literary  Merit,  &  consequently 
a  suffieient  Time  of  Residence  in  College  for  the  further 
[)rosccuti(»n  of  Study,  and  a  proper  previous  Examina- 
tion to  discover  the  Improvement  of  the  Candidates. 
And  when  they  are  promiscuously  distributed  as  cursory 
Formalities  after  the  usual  Interval  of  Time  without 
any  previous  Evidence  of  suitable  Qualifications,  they 
sink  into  Contempt  as  insignificant  Ceremonies,  and 
0  longer  answer  their  original  Design  ";  therefore, 
t-andidates  for  the  master's  degree  would  be  required  to 
reside  in  college  for  one  week  preceding  commencement 
and  to  stand  examination  the  day  before  commencement 
in  the  brunches  directly  connected  with  "  that  Profes- 
sion of  life  which  they  have  entered  upon  or  have  in 
view. ' ' 

Mr.  Da  vies'  first  terrors  had  soon  vanished  and  he 
now  found  himself  easily  grasping  the  tasks  of  the 
presidency.  When  the  trustees  directed  him  to  draw  up 
and  [)rint  a  catalogue  oi  the  college  library,  he  wrote  a 
preface  which  reveals  his  clea  ■  understanding  of  the 
need  of  tools  of  scholarship  "  in  a  Country  where  Books 
are  so  scarce,  and  private  I  ibraries  so  poor  and  few  "; 
a  survey  of  the  catalogue  vvi<ijld  show  friends  how  lack- 
ing Nassau  Hall  was  in  this  indispensable  feature — ' '  few 
modern  Authors,  who  have  unquestionably  some  Ad- 
vantage above  the  immortal  *  ncients,  adorn  the  Shelves. 
This  Defect  is  most  sensibly  felt  in  the  study  of  Mathe- 
matics and  the  Newtonian  Philosophy,  in  which  the  Stu- 
dents have  very  imperfect  Helps,  either  from  Books  or 
Instruments."  There  were  about  twelve  hundred  vol- 
umes in  the  libran ,  four  hundred  and  seventy -five  of 
which  were   Governor  Belcher's   gift.     The  catalogue 


mim 


56 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 


was  printed   in   17G0  ut  Woodbridge,  New  Jersey,   by 
Jnnu's  Parker. 

Permission  to  substitute  psalmody  for  Scripture  read- 
ing at  ('olle>?e  vespers  was  given  in  ITfiO,  and  was  prob- 
ably due  as  mueb  to  President  Davies'  own  taste  and 
insisienee  as  to  the  iuflucnee  of  James  Lyon,  one  of 
Ameriea's  earliest  musicians  and  a  graduate  of  the  class 
of  1759.  To  aeeommodate  this  distinct  innovation,  the 
"  small  tho'  exceeding  Good  "  organ  was  purchased 
which  is  mentioned  in  the  official  "  Account  of  the  Col- 
lege of  New  Jersey,"  published  in  1764.  Ezra  Stiles  is 
authority  for  the  statement  that  this  organ  was  the  first 
used  in  an  American  I'rosbyterian  place  of  worship; 
and  he  makes  an  interesting  comment  on  its  installation: 
"  I  thought  it  an  innovation  of  ill  consequence.  &  that 
the  Trustees  wore  too  easily  practised  upon.  They  were 
[soon? J  a  little  sick  of  it.  The  organ  has  been  disused 
for  sundr>'  years,  &  never  was  much  used."  *  This  was 
written  in  1770.  Whether  the  organ  was  used  or  not, 
it  is  certain  that  for  several  years  after  this  date  there 
■was  singing  in  the  prayer-hall  at  vespers. 

Up  to  this  time,  the  only  ornament  in  the  prayer-hall 
had  been  Governor  Bclclicr's  portrait  and  coat  of  arras 
and  his  pictures  of  British  sovereigns.  In  January, 
17G1,  an  important  addition  was  made  to  the  collection 
by  the  arrival  of  a  full-length  portrait  of  George  II,  on 
whose  recent  death  President  Burr  preached  a  memo- 
rable sermon  (his  last  public  address),  and  i\Ir.  Sam- 
uel Blair,  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  1760  and  then 
studying  divinity,  delivered  an  oration.  ^Ir.  James 
Parker  of  Woodbridge  printed  both  of  these  productions. 
The  occasion,  January  14,  seems  to  have  been  a  memo- 

'"Litfrary  Diary,"  New  York,  1901,  Vol.  I,  p.  58;  Vol.  Ill, 
p.  162. 


INFLUENCE  OF  DA  VIES 


57 


rial  (Iny  in  honor  of  the  late  King.*  The  painting  hud 
naehfcl  Princeton  on  January  8.  Sixteen  years  later, 
aliiiiist  to  a  (lay,  on  January  \i,  1777,  it  was  shot  from 
its  frame  during  the  battle  of  Princeton,  and  seven 
years  still  later  the  portrait  of  Washington  by  Pcale  was 
inserted  in  the  original  frnmc  and  is  to-day  the  most 
valued  and  historic  painting  in  the  University  collec- 
tion. 

President  Davies  left  indelible  impress  on  the  spirit 
of  the  institution.  He  raised  the  standard  of  degrees; 
lie  initiated  the  practice  that  lasted  one  hundred  and 
thirty  years  of  having  the  senior  cla.ss  deliver  public 
orations  once  a  month.  An  orator  himself  and  a  poet, 
fis  American  poets  went  in  those  days,  he  turned  the 
attention  of  the  College  to  English  composition  and  to 
declamation;  he  endeavored  to  add  some  touch  of  attrac- 
tiveness to  compulsory  college  worship  by  introducing 
.singing.  Perhaps  his  Welsh  blood  is  to  be  thanked  for 
his  ardent  love  of  music.  In  the  diary  of  his  trip  to 
England,  in  1753,  he  notes  that  the  bells  of  London  town 
were  ringing  on  Christmas  morning  as  he  landed  from 
the  ship  that  brought  him  over,  and  they  seemed  to  hira 
"  the  most  manly,  strong  and  noble  music  "  he  had  ever 
heard.  It  was  in  a  note  to  a  sermon  preached  in  1755, 
after  Braddock's  defeat,  that  he  penned  the  well-known 
prophetic  passage:  "  I  may  point  out  to  the  public  that 
heroic  youth,  Colonel  Washington,  whom  I  cannot  but 
hope  Providence  has  hitherto  preserved  in  so  signal  a 
manner  for  some  important  service."  And  the  touch 
of  imagination  in  his  nature  that  made  him  an  orator 
and  a  poet  would  have  made  him  a  great  president.    The 


•  The  painter  and  the  donor  of  the  portrait  are  not  known. 
Maclean  is  certainly  mistaken  in  saying  it  was  a  gift  from  Gov- 

irnor  Belcher. 


58  THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 

spirit  that  would  have  marked  his  administration  had 
he  lived  pervades  the  baccalaureate  ho  preached  in  Sep- 
tember, 1760,  his  second  and  last,  and  the  only  one  he 
published.     The  experience  of  his  early  days  in  Vir- 
ginia had  made  him  an  eaj?er  defender  of  civil  and  reli- 
gious liberty,  a  thorougii  patriot  in  the  colonial  sense 
of  the  word,  and  his  address  to  his  graduating  class 
on  "  Religion  and  Public  Spirit  "  is  shot  through  with 
the  light  of  the  new  Americanism.     Whether  they  be- 
came "ministers,  or  lawyers,  or  doctors,  or  chose  the 
serene  and  quiet  pleasures  of  private  life  in  retirement,. 
"  whatever,  I  say,  be  your  Place  .  .  .  imbibe  and  cher- 
ish a  public  spirit.    Serve  your  generation.    Live  not  for 
yourselves   but   the   public.     Be  the   servants   of   the 
Church ;  the  servants  of  your  country ;  the  servants  of 
all.  .  .  .  Esteem  yourselves  by  so  much  the  more  happy, 
honourable  and  important,  by  how  much  the  more  use- 
ful you  are.     Let  your  own  ease,  your  own  pleasure, 
your  own  private  interests,  yield  to  the  common  good." 
And  further  on  is  the  reminder  that  "  a  college  educa- 
tion does  only  lay  the  foundation;  on  which  to  build 
must  be  the  business  of  your  future  life."    In  choosing 
a  profession  he  advises  his  hearers  to  follow  their  natu- 
ral inclination  and  to  consult  the  public  good—"  fix 
upon  that  which  is  most  agreeable  to  your  natural  Turn, 
which  in  some  measure  is  equal  to  your  Abilities,  and 
may  be  more  conducive  to  the  service  of  your  genera- 
tion."    And,  pleading  for  alumni  loyalty,  he  begs  his 
hearers  not  to  lot  Alma  Mater  drop  entirely  out  of  mind. 
It  is  an  unmistakable  mark  of  his  clear-sightedness  that 
he  should  ask  for  the  alumni  loyalty  on  which  the  ma- 
jority of  privately  endowed  colleges  must  depend— the 
loyalty  that  is  not  satisfied  with  merely  looking  back- 
ward,  but   which    reaches    forward,    expectant  of   the 


CHARACTER  OF  DAVIES 


59 


future,  loyalty  to  a  living  and  ambitious  hope  based  on 
an  honored  past. 

President  Davies  died  of  pneumonia  in  February, 
1761,  having  been  president  a  little  over  eighteen  months. 
Born  in  Delaware  in  1724,  of  Welsh  descent  and  hum- 
ble parentage,  he  had  been  trained  in  Samuel  Blair's 
school  at  Faggs  ^lanor  in  Pennsylvania.  Bereavement 
had  cast  a  shadow  over  his  early  life,  and  yet  his  desire 
to  serve  his  church  was  so  great  that  when  he  went 
down  to  Virginia  and  settled  as  a  missionary  near  Rich- 
mond he  soon  gained  an  influence  greater  than  that  of 
any  other  preacher  in  the  region.  According  to  some,  he 
was  the  animating  soul  of  the  whole  dissenting  interest 
in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina.  Here  was  a  man  of 
singular  charm  and  persuasiveness.  As  a  pulpit  orator 
he  was  probably  unequalcd  in  his  day.  His  sermons  were 
more  read  than  those  of  any  divine  for  half  a  century 
after  his  death.  Nine  editions  of  his  works  were  issued 
in  England  before  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
and  four  American  editions  were  exhausted  before  the 
middle  of  the  nineteenth.  That  he  had  not  only  over- 
come his  fears  for  himself,  but  had  surpassed  the  hopes 
of  his  best  friends,  is  amply  shown  in  the  letters  of  the 
time.  "  You  can  hardly  conceive  what  prodigious  un- 
common gifts  Heaven  had  bestowed  on  that  man,"  wrote 
Mr.  David  Bostwick  of  New  York  to  Dr.  Joseph  Bel- 
lamy ;  and  the  most  eloquent  testimony  to  public  opinion 
of  him  is  found  in  the  action  of  the  people  of  Phila- 
delphia, who  subscribed  £95  per  annum  for  five  years 
to  complete  the  education  of  his  three  sons  at  Prince- 
ton, while  Philadelphia  and  New  York  friends  raised 
between  £-100  and  £500  for  his  widow  and  two 
daughters. 

President  Davies'  successor  was  the  Reverend  Sam- 


60 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 


•i 


>/ 


ucl  Finloy,  who  had  boon  a  trustee  from  1746  to  1748, 
and  again  from  1751,  and  who  had  been  nominated  for 
the  presidency  on  Mr.  Edwards'  death.  A  quorum  of 
trustees  hurriedly  collected  by  express  messengers 
elected  him  in  June,  17G1,  and  in  July  he  reached  Prince- 
ton and  was  received  in  the  prayer-hall  by  the  College 
with  proper  ceremony.^  He  delivered  his  Latin  inaugu- 
ral at  conunencement,'"  and  the  Composition  was  made 
up  with  such  Purity  of  Diction ;  flowing  and  harmonious 
Periods;  the  Pronunciation  so  exact  and  elegant;  that 
no  one  but  .so  great  a  ]\Ia.ster  of  the  Roman  Language 
as  this  Gentleman  evidently  is,  could  have  effected  it."^ 
Dr.  Finley's  administration  showed  no  striking 
changes  in  the  requirements  for  admi.ssion  or  in  the 
course  of  study.  lie  did  nothing  toward  extending  the 
improvements  suggested  by  Davies,  and  at  the  end  of 
his  administration  it  was  boldly  asserted  in  some  quar- 
ters that  since  Burr's  death  no  advance  had  been  made. 
Nevertheless,  by  1764  there  were  one  hundred  and  twenty 
students  in  college,  and  it  was  officially  stated  that  if 
the  increase  continued  at  the  rate  of  the  last  three  years 
an  additional  building  Avould  be  a  necessity.  The 
pamphlet  in  which  this  statement  occurs  was  the  account 
of  the  College  which  for  several  years  the  board  had 
been  planning  to  publish.  President  Pinky  was  re- 
quested to  take  it  up,  but  he  turned  the  task  over  to 
Mr.  Samuel  Blair,  the  orator  on  George  II  and  now  a 
college  tutor,  and  it  was  published  in  1764  by  Mr. 
Parker  at  Woodbridge,  the  best  contemporary  state- 
ment that  we  possess  of  the  history,  curriculum,  and 
life  of  the  College. 


'  New  .lersoy  .\rchivps.  lat  aeries,  Vol.  XX,  p.  596. 
'  Pcnna.  Jaurnul,  October  8,  1761.     New  Jersey  Archives,  1st 
series,  Vol.  XX,  p.  616. 


PRESIDENT  FINLEY 


61 


But  while  President  Finlcy  made  no  marked  changes 
in  the  curriculum,  he  instituted  in  the  three  lower 
classes  a  system  of  quarterly  examinations  and  he  im- 
proved the  efficiency  of  the  preparation  obtainable  at  the 
j,'rammar  school  by  establishing  in  17G3,  under  a  separate 
master,  an  English  department  to  teach  ' '  young  lads  to 
write  well,  to  cipher,  and  to  pronounce  and  read  the 
English  tongue  with  accuracy  and  precision."  The  chief 
endeavor  of  the  grammar  school  had  hitherto  been  the 
acfjuisition  of  the  rudiments  of  Latin  and  Greek,  "  the 
graces  of  a  good  delivery,"  and  "  improving  handwrit- 
ing," to  which  art  a  small  portion  of  each  day  had  been 
<lovoted.'  The  presence  of  the  English  school  was  before 
Jong  voted  "  an  inconvenience,"  and  it  was  ordered  that 
it  bo  carried  on  outside  of  the  College. 

In  1764,  through  hidden  influence  not  explained,  the 
provincial  legislature  was  at  last  induced  to  authorize 
u  lottery  for  the  benefit  of  the  College.''    It  was  drawn 

'  The  grammar  school  had  been  begun  by  Mr.  Burr  in  Newark 
and  had  been  brought  to  Princeton  by  him  and,  by  special  vote 
(if  the  board,  had  under  each  administration  lieen  the  special  care 
and  perquisite  of  the  president.  It  was  for  this  .school  that  Burr 
liad  prepared  a  Latin  grammar  known  as  tlie  "  Newark  Gram- 
mar "  which,  in  its  second  edition,  was  publislied  by  the  trustees 
'•  principally  for  the  Use  of  the  Grammar  School  at  Nassau  Hall  " 
and  was  recommended  to  all  who  intended  to  send  their  sons  to 
I'rinceton. 

'  The  first  lottery  for  the  benefit  of  the  College  was  drawn  at 
IMiiladelphia  in  July,  1748.  In  1750  another  was  advertised  to 
!>(■  drawn  in  April,  for  which  8,000  tickets  were  sold  at  .303.  each, 
the  prizes  being  worth  from  '2s.  lOd.  to  £."500,  from  wliich  a  twelve 
iuul  a  half  per  cent,  deduction  was  to  be  made  to  net  the  Col- 
lige  £1.500.  In  1753  a  lottery  was  announced  to  !)e  drawn 
at  Stamford,  Connecticut,  called  the  Connecticut  lottery,  for 
which  8,888  tickets  at  30s.  were  to  bo  oiTerod.  This  lottery 
was  postponed  a  year  and  then  apparently  given  up.  In  1758  a 
fourth  lottery  was  planned  to  raise  £600,  but  did  not  get  beyond 
preliminary  stages.  The  next  was  held  at  Philadelphia  in  Sen- 
tember,  1761,  when  10.000  tickets  were  put  on  sale  at  "  four 
dollars"  each.  Then  followed  Finley's  lottery  of  1764.  The 
seventh  and  last  was  held  in  1772  at  New  Castle,  Delaware,  and 


G'2 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 


>*\ 


i 


in  Nassau  Hall,  ]3,;333  tickets  at  30s.  oach  being  offered. 
The  legislature  had  authorized  a  lottery  to  raise  not 
more  than  £3,000,  and  the  manager  of  the  lottery 
planned  to  clear  £2.99!)  18s.  6d.,  or  eighteenpcnce  short 
of  the  limit.  As  most  of  the  tickets  were  sold  on  credit, 
prize-winners  were  requested  to  ' '  forbear  ' '  demanding 
their  money  for  a  few  weeks,  as  "  some  time  will  be 
necessarily  required  to  collect  the  Cash."  Much  of  that 
cash  still  remained  uncollected  in  1767.^ 

New  presidents  had  followed  one  another  to  the  head- 
ship of  the  College  scarcely  faster  than  new  governors 
had  come  to  the  troubled  province.    But  the  successive 
arrivals  of  representatives  of  the  Crown  had  afforded 
the  trustees  of  the  College  opportunities  of  expressions 
of  policy  which  were  significant  in  form  as  well  as  in 
content.     The  humble  address  of  the  trustees  to  each 
nt'W  governor,  as  the  constituted  president  of  the  board, 
indicates  clearly  the  broad  view  they  were  taking  of 
the  purpose  of  the  College.    President  Davios,  speaking 
for  the  faculty  at  a  reception  to  Governor  Boone  in 
Nassau  Hall  in  July,  1760.  assured  his  excellency  that 
"  we  shall  continue  with  the  utmost  assiduity  to  instill 
into  young  minds  such  principles  as  thro'  the  blessing 
of  Heaven  form  the  Scholar,  the  Patriot,  and  the  Chris- 
was  known  as  the  Delaware  Lottery.     In  this  lottery  a  controversy 
.arose  over  one  of  the  larpe  prizes,  which  apparently  the  college  au- 
thorities could  not  pay  owing  to  a  lack  of  ready  cash.     The  matter 
was  still  pending  in  1780,  and  was  eventually  compromised.     These 
disagn-eahle  eircunistanccs  led  to  the  abandonment  of  tiie  lottery 
mi'tluul  of  raising  funds,  although  the  ethical  ohjection  does  not 
seem  to  have  carried  any  weight.     In  President  Green's  time  the 
state  legislature  was  petitioned  to  allow  another  lottery  for  the 
College,  and  refused.     Since  then  the  public  has  not  been  invited 
to  spend  its  money  on  Princeton  in  just  that  way.     As  the  treas- 
urer's books  have'been  destroyed,  no  record  of  the  actual  results 
to  the  College  is  available. 

'  Sec   New  Jersey   Archives.    1st   series,   Vols.    XII,   XIX,    XX, 
XXIV,  XXV,  passim. 


■Sffi 


THE  POLITICAL  SPIRIT 


G3 


tian."  Two  years  later  the  board  assured  Governor 
Hardy  that  the  "  general  Principle  of  preparing  youth 
for  public  service  in  Church  and  State,  and  making  them 
useful  members  of  Society,  without  concerning  ourselves 
about  their  particular  religious  denomination  is  our 
Grand  Idea."  And  in  1763,  when  Governor  Franklin 
appeared  at  his  first  Princeton  commencement,  the 
l)oard  repeated  that  they  had  endeavored  to  conduct  the 
Collefrc  "  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  it  of  the  most 
general  and  extensive  usefulness.  Our  idea  is  to  send 
into  the  World  good  Scholars  and  successful  Members 
of  Society."  The  form  of  these  addresses  shows  a  grow- 
ing change  of  attitude  toward  the  Crown.  One  does 
not  have  to  be  reminded  that  the  times  were  times  of 
political  unrest,  and  in  Nassau  Hall  there  was  already 
stirring  a  spirit  which  foretold  the  exciting  days  to  come. 
The  address  of  the  president  and  tutors  to  Governor 
Franklin  on  his  visit  to  Princeton  in  March,  1763,  in- 
forms him  that  the  design  and  tendency  of  the  College 
was  "  to  promote  the  general  Good  of  mankind,  by 
forming  our  Pupils  for  the  Service  of  their  Country  " 
iind  assures  him  that  they  will  "  instil  into  their  Minds, 
i'rinciples  of  Loyalty  to  the  best  of  Kings,  a  firm  At- 
tachment to  the  most  excellent  British  Constitution  and 
a  Sacred  Regard  to  the  Cause  of  Religion  and  Liberty. ' ' 
Rut  it  is  significant,  as  Dr.  DeWitt  has  pointed  out,^ 
that  in  the  trustees'  address  that  September  they  omit- 
tt'd  the  customary  protestation  of  loyalty;  the  Crown 
is  not  even  mentioned.  The  address  is  so  short  that  it 
verges  on  curtness;  and  it  closes  with  a  perfunctory 
expression  of  cordial  wi.^hes  for  the  governor's  public 
and  domestic  happiness,  and  for  his  peace,  comfort,  and 


li 


'  "  Princeton   College   Administrations   in   the   Eighteenth   Cen- 
tury," I'rcsby.  and  Rcf.  Rev  ,  July,  1897,  p.  408. 


ii.':- 


^ 


64 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD 


1  ■ 

M 


usefulness  in  the  administration  of  the  province — 
wishes  whose  realization  he  was  to  need  sadly  in  the 
coming  thirteen  years  of  his  service.  And  the  under- 
graduates did  not  lag  behind  the  trustees  in  the  new  sen- 
timent of  the  times.  Of  the  commencement  exercises  in 
1765,  for  example,  the  Pennsylvania  Journal  remarked 
"  we  cannot  but  do  the  young  gentlemen  the  justice  to 
observe  that  sueh  a  spirit  of  liberty  and  tender  regard 
for  their  suffering  country  breathed  in  their  several 
performances,  as  gave  an  inexpressible  pleasMre  to  a 
very  crowded  assembly."  Among  the  exercises  on  the 
programme  were  an  oration  on  "  Liberty,"  pronounced 
by  Mr.  Jacob  Rush;  a  dialogue  also  on  "  Liberty,"  and 
the  valedictory  had  as  its  subject,  "  Patriotism."  The 
graduating  class  agreed  to  appcor  on  the  commencement 
platform  iu  clothes  of  American  manufacture,  and  they 
persuaded  their  undergraduate  fellows  to  follow  their 
example. 

The  trustees  in  1766  drew  up  an  address  to  His 
Majesty  for  his  "  gracious  condescension  in  repealing 
the  Stamp  Act  "  and,  ever  mindful  of  the  chance  to 
increase  the  equipment,  added  a  petition  for  a  grant  of 
60,000  acres  of  land  in  the  Province  of  New  York  from 
lands  recently  added  from  the  Province  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. !Mr.  Richard  Stockton,  the  Princeton  lawyer  and 
now  a  trustee,  presented  the  address  and  petition  at 
London.  The  address  was  graciously  received  by  His 
Majesty;  and  the  petition  was  comfortably  pigeonholed 
in  the  Plantation  Office,  and  has  only  recently  been  dis- 
interred among  the  papers  of  the  Privy  Council  Office. 
Its  authors  never  heard  of  it  again. 

Except  for  this  and  a  proposal  to  appoint  a  Dutch 
professor  of  divinity,  a  proposal  no  sooner  made  than 
laid  on  the  table,  the  records  of  President  Finley's  ad- 


FINLEY'S  ADMINISTRATION 


65 


ministration  are  largely  those  of  quiet  growth  in  the 
student  body,  and  of  improvements  to  college  property 
and  equipment,  such  as  planting  shade  trees,*  two  of 
which  are  still  thriving  in  the  yard  of  the  dean  of  the 
laculty's  house;  digging  an  additional  college  well; 
i)uilding  a  new  kitchen;  providing  a  fire  engine,  lad- 
ders, and  buckets;  charging  a  small  sum  quarterly  for 
enlarging  the  library;  requiring  each  entering  student 
to  give  bond  for  punctual  payment  of  his  fees  and 
(tharges,  and  similar  minor  but  useful  matters.  Dr.  Fin- 
liy  enjoyed  reputation  abroad ;  he  had  taught  for  many 
years — his  academy  at  Nottingham  was  one  of  the  early 
famous  schools — he  was  the  first  Princeton  officer  and 
the  second  American  divine  to  receive  an  honorary 
(kgree  from  a  British  university,  Glasgow  conferring  on 
him  the  degree  of  doctor  of  divinity.  But  he  was  prob- 
ably already  in  the  grip  of  mortal  disease  when  he  be- 
came president,  and  in  July,  1766,  he  died  at  Philadel- 
phia, whither  he  had  gone  for  medical  aid,  and  where 
ho  was  buried.  He  and  jMr.  Dickinson  are  the  two  de- 
ceased presidents  of  the  College  not  lying  in  the  Prince- 
ton graveyard.  His  death  closes  the  Colonial  Period  in 
the  history  of  Princeton  University. 

'  These  are  the  trees  which  it  has  so  often  been  said  were 
planted  to  commemorate  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act.  But 
unless  one  ascribe  to  tlie  trustees  the  gift  of  prophwy  the  claim 
can  have  no  justification.  The  trees  were  ordered  the  year  before 
the  Stamp  Act  was  repealed. 


1 


i  : 


III 

THE  REVOLUT;ONARY  PERIOD 

Presidency  of  Witherspoon.  The  Revolution  Campus  Happen- 
incs.  Tlie  (,'ontimntol  Congress  at  Princeton.  Ihe  College 
ImhT  Withcrspoon.  Princvton  and  the  South.  W itherspoon 8 
Intluence. 

Princeton's    president    during    the    Revolutionary 
period  was  unlike  any  of  his  predecessors.     Not  win- 
some like  Burr,  nor  so  intellectual  as  Edwards,  nor  so 
finished  a  speaker  as  Dickinson  or  Davics,  and  lacking 
even  the  teacher's  experience  that  Finley  possessed,  he 
was  nevertheless  to  be  a  stronger  and  more  effective  man 
than  any  of  these,  a  man  to  whom  the  headship  of  the 
College  was  to  be  only  one  of  several  opportunities  for 
virile  leadership.    The  colonial  presidents  belonged  to  a 
different  age ;  they  were  of  a  different  stripe.    Under  the 
guidance  of  any  one  of  them,  with  the  possible  exception 
of  Davies,  the  College  would  have  emerged  from  the 
storm  of  the  Revolution  in  very  different  fashion,  if  in- 
deed it  would  have  emerged  at  all.    Even  granting  that 
the  preparation  of  young  men  for  public  affairs  as  well 
as  for  the  church  had  been  their  interprv^tation  u.  the 
purpose  of  the   College,   Davics   alone   seems  to   have 
shown  any  genuine  insight  into  the  possible  relations  of 
the  College  to  the  future  of  the  colonies  or  any  clear 
prevision   of    its   potential    national    destiny.     To   the 
colonial  presidents  thiir  office  was  a  more  than  solemn 
matter ;  it  was  almost  melancholy.    They  were  unable  to 
rise  above  it,  and  with  tht-  exception  of  Edwards,  who 
never  ccmpletely  donned  the  presidential  harness,  the 

GC 


STATUS  OF  THE  COLLEGE 


67 


labors  and  responsibilities  of  the  office  sent  each  to  an 
early  grave.  Dickinson  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine,  after 
a  presidency  of  less  than  a  year;  Burr  at  forty-one,  after 
a  presidency  of  ten  years;  Davies  at  thirLy-eight  after 
eighteen  months,  and  Pinley  at  fifty-one  after  five  years 
as  president.  Dr.  Witherspoon's  administration  was  to 
differ  from  those  of  his  predecessors  in  temper,  in 
breadth  of  contact  with  current  affairs,  in  effectiveness, 
and  in  length.  Its  history  is  inseparably  bound  up  with 
the  story  of  his  own  multifarious  activities. 

Any  unbiased  contemporary  observer  appraising  the 
standing  and  prospects  of  the  College  in  1766  would 
have  admitted  that  it  was  no  longer  the  uncertain  proj- 
ect of  a  handful  of  enthusiasts,  but  had  grown  into  a 
permanent  enterprise.  Already  it  had  on  its  roster  of 
presidents  a  series  of  names  which  were  guarantee  of 
high  purpose,  and  it  was  by  common  consent  agreed  to 
be  the  leading  educational  institution  with  which  at 
least  American  Presbyterianism  was  concerned.  "Whether 
it  had  measured  up  to  expectations  during  the  twenty 
years  of  its  existence  depended  on  the  point  of  view. 
If  it  had  failures  to  regret,  they  were  due  largely  to 
lark  of  the  funds  necessary  to  more  ambitious  achieve- 
ment. 

When  Dr.  Finley  died  the  schism  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  had  been  healed  outwardly  and  the  two  rival 
s  lods  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  were  once  more 
uuited,  the  former  representing  the  "  New  Side,"  the 
latter  the  "  Old  Side,"  and  together  composing  the 
Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia.  The  Old  Side 
party  had  never  had  any  share  in  the  management  of 
the  College.  The  affluence  and  importance  of  its  mem- 
Ikts  seemed  to  justify  representation  and  the  death  of 
President  Finley  afforded  the  opportunity  they  sought. 


Hii 


68 


THE  REVOLI'TIONARY  PERIOD 


1 


:i 


They,  thercfon',  prepared  whut  ou  the  face  of  it  ap- 
peared to  be  a  very  generous  proposal.     Briefly  stated, 
in  return  for  the  election  of  a  president  of  their  choos- 
ing and  the  appointment  of  a  genuine  faculty  of  pro- 
fessors—something the  College  had  not  yet  been  able 
to  afford,  tutors  being  the  only  assistance  the  presidents 
had  received — they  would  guarantee  rinaneial  help  for 
a  term  of  years  and  the  immediate  collection  of  other 
funds.     The  plan  was  to  be  sprung  on  the  board  of 
trustees  at  the  meeting  in  1766,  at  which  a  successor  to 
Finley  would  be  elected.     But  it  leaked  out,  and  the 
trustees  took  prompt  action.     They  valued  their  free- 
dom more  than  thc^  prospect  of  funds;  after  twenty 
years  of  possession  they  did  not  intend  to  let  the  Col- 
lege slip  out  of  their  grasp.     Lurking  behind  the  offer 
was  the  specter  of  synodical  control,  which  was  directly 
antagonistic  to  the  spirit  of  the  founders.     And  when 
the  Philadelphia  overture,  backed  by  an  impressive  dele- 
gation of  lay  and  clerical  supporters,  was  brought  to 
Princeton  to  be  laid  before  the  board,  its  advocates  dis- 
covered that  the  tru.stees  had  already  chosen  a  presi- 
dent,   and    that,    while    appreciating    the    generosity 
of  the  Old  Sidt;'s  financial  offer,  they  felt  it   inadvis- 
able to  elect  a  faculty  of  professors  until  the  money 
to    pay    their    salaries    was    actually    in    the    College 

treasury. 

By  what  process  the  trustees  had  come  to  elect  as 
their  head  John  Witherspoon,  minister  of  the  gospel  at 
Paisley  in  Scotland,  has  never  been  learned.  The  choice 
seems  to  indicate  that  they  had  decided  it  was  time  to 
inject  new  vitality  into  the  presidency.  They  had 
watched  four  presidents  die  in  less  than  nine  years;  it 
is  recorded  that  they  saw  no  satisfactory  candidates  in 
the  American  church ;  and  it  bad  not  taken  them  long 


PRESIDENT  WITIIEKSPOON 


69 


to  find  thoir  man  in  the  Scottish  church.  Mis  name  was 
known  to  most  American  divines  as  that  of  a  leader  of 
the  conservative  party  in  the  Scottish  General  Asscml  !y; 
he  was  the  author  of  a  few  strongly  cvanKciical 
s<'rmons  and  of  two  or  three  strictly  orthodox  theoloijical 
treatises;  an  essay  of  his,  replying  to  Lord  Kamos  and 
defending  what  was  eventually  to  be  the  Scottish  phi- 
losophy of  realism,  had  reached  those  who  subscribed  to 
the  Scota  Magazine  and  who  were  admitted  to  the  secret 
(if  his  pseudonym ;  and  he  had  shown  in  a  piece  of  satire 
on  his  opponents  in  the  Church  of  Scotland,  which  went 
throuj^'h  several  editions,  that  he  had  a  keen  sense  of 
humor.  That  the  trustees  of  17G7  were  attracted  by  this 
last  quality  it  would  be  worse  than  foolish  to  assert; 
rather  were  they  caught  by  the  fact  that  Dr.  Withcr- 
spoon  was  a  graduate  of  Edinburgh  in  arts  and  theology, 
that  St.  Andrews  had  made  him  a  doctor  of  divinity, 
that  he  was  a  man  of  undoubted  piety,  of  strict  or- 
thodoxy, anfi  of  marked  pastoral  ability.  Whether  he 
had  any  special  gifts  as  a  teacher  or  as  an  academic 
aiiiiiinistrator  seems  to  have  been  considered  negligible; 
if  he  possessed  them  he  had  never  had  an  opportunity 
for  their  display.  But  it  was  known  that  he  had  excr- 
riscd  unusual  influence  over  the  young  people  in  his 
parishes;  and  his  prominence  in  the  councils  of  the  Scot- 
tish church  was  guarantee  of  his  mental  equipment.  In 
aildition  to  his  intellectual  and  moral  qualifications,  the 
ai'tivity  of  his  career  suggested  that  he  was  of  tougher 
I>liysieal  fiber  than  the  average  Princeton  president  had 
shown  himself  to  be;  and,  with  all  due  submission  to 
the  will  of  an  inscrutable  Providence,  the  frequency  of 
lircakdown  and  premature  death  in  the  headship  of  the 
College  must  have  become  discouraging  to  even  the  most 
patient  members  of  the  board. 


4 

^1 


mm^^m^mAt 


MICkOCOPY    RESOLUTION    TEST    CHART 

ANSI  and  ISO  T"ST  CHART  No    7 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


m 


1.4 


II  2.5 

[2.2 

2.0 
1.8 

1.6 


A     APPLIED  INA-1GE 


;_c,  =  t    Mo-    i'-e-i 
)   288  -  ^989  -  fa. 


■p 


70 


THE  REVOLUTIONARY  PERIOD 


The  PliiladL'lphia'^s  took  their  doiVat  in  good  part, 
moct  generous  of  all  being  Dr.  Francis  Allison,  who  had 
been  slated  for  the  presidency.  It  was  almost  unani- 
mously conceded  that,  if  Dr.  Witherspoon  proved  to  be 
made  of  the  right  stuff,  he  might  heal  all  the  troubles 
of  American  Presbytcrianism ;  he  would  certainly  be  an 
invaluable  accession  to  the  forces  of  the  colonial  non- 
Anglican  church;  and  his  decision  was  awaited  with 
hopefulness  by  the  majority  and  with  curiosity  by  all. 
To  be  sure,  a  petty  and  despicable  attempt  to  influence 
his  decision  unfavorably  was  made  by  one  disgruntled 
group,  but  Mr.  Richard  Stockton  of  the  class  of  1748, 
who  was  in  England,  and  Benjamin  Rush  of  1760,  then 
an  emotional  young  Prineetonian  studying  medicine  at 
Edinburgh,  were  able  to  set  his  mind  at  rest,  and  he 
thought  favorably  of  the  offer.  But  3Irs.  Wither- 
spoon flatly  refused  to  leave  her  native  land,  and 
her  dutiful  husband  was  compelled  to  decline  the 
election. 

At  the  October  meeting  of  the  board,  in  1767,  when 
this  decision  was  received  the  Philadelphia  party  re- 
newed their  proposal  in  regard  to  the  appointment  of  a 
faculty,  and  the  trustees  in  conciliatory  mood  accord- 
ingly elected  three  professors — Dr.  Hugh  Williamson  of 
Philadelphia,  to  the  chair  of  mathematics  and  natural 
philosophy;  the  Reverend  John  Blair  of  Faggs  Manor, 
a  trustee,  to  the  chair  of  divinity  and  moral  philosophy, 
and  to  the  chair  of  languages  and  logic  young  Mr, 
Jonathan  Edwards,  a  tutor,  and  the  son  of  the  former 
president.  The  presidency  itself,  with  the  chair  of  rhet- 
oric and  metaphysics,  they  gave  to  young  Samuel  Blair 
of  Boston,  the  former  tutor  and  a  nephew  of  the  newly 
elected  professor  of  divinity.  The  understanding  was 
that  these  elections,  saving  the  presidency,  should  not 


PKOPOSED  FACULTY 


71 


j!:o  into  efft'ct  for  a  year,  or  until  the  board  sliould  be 
able  to  supply  the  salaries:  £125  for  the  professor  of 
languages  and  l'..=c,  £150  for  the  professor  of  mathe- 
iiiaties  and  natural  philosophy,  £175  for  the  professor 
of  divinity  and  moral  philosophy,  and  £200  for  the  pro- 
fessor of  rhetoric  and  metaphysics — all  salaries  being 
estimated  in  proclamation  money.  And  to  the  trustee- 
ship, left  vacant  by  the  appointment  of  Professor  Blair, 
tlicy  elected  an  Old  Side  representative,  the  Reverend 
William  Kirkpatrick  of  Amwell,  New  Jersey.  Only  one 
of  these  professorships — that  of  divinity — was  actually 
occupied,  and  when  Blair  resigned  the  former  plans  were 
laid  over,  and  Dr.  Witherspoon  was  given  a  clean  slate 
to  fill. 

Samuel  Blair  was  twenty-six  years  old;  he  had  been 
graduated  from  Princeton  in  1760,  had  been  a  tutor 
under  Finley  for  three  years,  and  was  the  first  alumnus 
elected  to  the  presidency.  Hearing  that  there  were 
objections  to  him  on  account  of  his  youth,  he  declined 
the  election,  and  the  more  gracefully  since  it  was  ru- 
mored that  Dr.  Witherspoon  might  reconsider;  for  it 
turned  out  that  Mrs.  "Witherspoon  had  changed  her 
mind.  Mr.  Blair's  declination  and  Dr.  Witherspoon 's 
hint  that  he  would  accept  a  second  election  were  re- 
ceived together,  and  there  was  obviously  only  one  thing 
fur  the  board  to  do.  As  a  result,  in  August,  1768,  Dr. 
Witherspoon,  with  wife  and  family,  landed  at  Phila- 
delphia, and  a  few  days  later  reached  Princeton.  The 
tutors  and  students  escorted  him  from  tlie  East  and 
West  Jersey  province  line  into  the  village,  and  Nassau 
Hall  that  night  was  illuminated  with  candles  in  every 
window. 

The  president  found  the  College  needing  at  each 
turn  a  leadership  like  the  one  he  discovered  he  had  the 


I'JS 


72 


THE  REVOLUTIONARY  PERIOD 


power  to  supply.    In  1767  tlic  total  flnancinl  rosouroos 
of  the  institution  anioiuited  to  £2,815  3s.  5d.,  of  which 
only  £950  was  drawing  interest;  but  with  superb  con- 
fidence the  board  in  1768  fixed  the  president's  salary  at 
£350  proclamation  money,  equivalent  to  £206  sterling. 
The  College  needed  students  and  their  tuition  fees,  and 
it  needed  money  gifts,  both  of  which  could  be  obtained 
only  by  seeking;  it  needed  enlargement  of  curriculum 
and  faculty  as  well  as  widening  of  clientele ;  it  needed 
business  methods  in  its  financial  administration.     Most 
interesting  to  the  stranger  must  have  been  the  political 
atmosphere  in  which  lie  found  himself  plunged.    A  proc- 
ess was  going  on  whose  character  is  illustrated  by  the 
fact  that  in  1761  one  of  the  Princeton  commencement 
pieces  had  been  "  The  Military  Glory  of  Great  Britain," 
while  in  1771  a  similar  commencement  piece  was  to  be 
"  The  Rising  Glory  of  America."    Between  those  dates 
lies  the  story  of  an  awakening,  the  fullness  of  which  Dr. 
Witherspoon  was  to  witness  and  in  part  help  to  produce. 
He  had  led  a  party  in  the  Scottish  church  which  was 
fighting  for  popular  rights  against  aristocratic  power, 
against  patronage,  against  ecclesiastical  oppression ;  and 
he  found  here  a  college  whose  undergraduates  and  offi- 
cers, in  spite  of  professed  loyalty  to  the  British  Crown, 
wore  growing  steadily  cooler  toward  it,  and  who  were 
openly  indorsing  at  every  commencement  the  new  po- 
litical theories  of  the  colonies.     He  himself  when  he 
reached  America  had  no  preconceived  notions,  save  the 
conventional  British  ones,  as  to  the  relation  of  Crown 
to  colony,  and  it  is  not  within  the  province  of  these 
pages  to  trace  his  development  into  a  full-fledged  pro- 
gressive American.     But  he  soon  perceived  that  he  had 
fallen  upon   a  bigger  opportunity   and  was  assuming 
graver  responsibility  than  he  had  expected.     For  the 


3 


NEW  Mr':TlIODS 


73 


time  being,  he  attended  strictly  t(i  the  business  of  the 
College.  The  financial  situation  received  his  immediate 
consideration.  Careless  of  precedent,  he  was  a  century 
in  advance  of  his  time  in  recognizing  that  an  American 
college  head  could  not  stay  at  home  in  his  study.  He 
saw  at  once  that  the  reputation  which  had  preceded  him 
was  valuable  stock  in  trade  which  could  be  turned  to 
advantage,  and  he  had  scarcely  unpacked  the  three 
hundred  volumes  he  brought  over  for  the  college 
'ibrary  before  he  began  the  scries  of  tours  up  and 
down  the  colonies  which  was  not  to  end  save  with  his 

life. 

Be  ore  he  started  on  his  first  foraging  expedition— on 
which  he  wrung  over  £1,000  from  Boston  alone— he  laid 
hold  on  the  newly   re-established  grammar   school   in 
Nassau  Hall  and  took  steps  to  improve  its  efficiency. 
Finding  a  man  of  the  right  stripe  in  young  William 
Churchill  Houston  of  the  college  senior  class,  he  in- 
stalled  him   as  master,   kept   him   under  supervision, 
taught  him  new  methods,  introduced  new  text-books  and 
new  studies.     Enlisting  the  power  of  the  press,  and 
without    sacrifice    of    dignity,    he    assumed    a    similar 
paternal  attitude  toward  the  public  and  began  the  novel 
practice  of  taking  that  public  into  his  confidence  on 
the  matter  of  elementary  education,  by  open  letters 
to  the  newspapers  suggesting  to  parents,  guardians,  and 
schoolmasters  methods  to  pursue  in  preparing  boys  for 
his  college.    In  these  letters  there  was  a  dash  of  inex- 
tinguishable humor,  the  gift  no  Princeton  president  had 
had  before  him,  the  gift  none  was  to  have  for  a  century 
after  him.     He  had  the  knack  of  inspiring  confidence, 
and  the  material  results  were  immediate  in  the  increase 
of  students  and  the  acquisition  of  funds. 
The  college  equipment  in  experimental  science  was 


,41 


\l 


*i 

m 


1 

U 

tt^^^M 

1 

m 


74 


THE  KEVOLUTIOXARY  PETJIOD 


**i 


also  given  speedy  attention,  and  in  17G9,  "  the  Board 
having  taken  into  consideration  the  great  want  of  a 
Philosophical  Apparatus  for  the  use  of  the  Students  in 
this  College  in  Natural  Philosophy  of  which  it  has  long 
been  destitute,"  a  committee  of  seven  members  of  the 
board  was  empowered  to  order  £250  worth  of  apparatus. 
The  following  spring,  unaided,  the  president  negotiated 
with  Mr.  David  Rittcuhouse  for  his  celebrated  orrery, 
the  most  marvelous  contrivance  of  the  age.  and  brought 
it  to  Princeton,  chuckling  softly  at  the  chagrin  of  the 
authorities  of  the  College  of  Philadelphia  who  had 
thought  the  prize  already  theirs. 

Professor  Blair  having  resigned  the  chair  of  divinity, 
Dr.  Witherspoon  assumed  its  duties  and  entered  at  once 
on  plans  for  enlarging  the  faculty  along  the  lines  con- 
templated before  his  arrival ;  and  in  1771  a  humble  start 
was  made  by  establishing  a  chair  of  mathematics  and 
natural  philosophy  and  placing  William  Churchill 
Houston  in  charge. 

A  vigorous  campaign  in  the  West  Indies  was  next 
planned,  and  for  it  the  president  wrote  his  well-known 
"Address,"^  speedily  finding  himself  involved  in  a 
warm  newspaper  controversy  on  account  of  it.  But  it 
was  all  so  much  grist  for  his  mill.  Boys  were  coming 
to  his  grammar  school  and  students  to  his  college ;  money 
was  being  gathered  through  the  colonies  by  individuals, 
by  churches,  by  presbyteries ;  the  College  was  becoming 
Avidely  known,  and  it  seemed  as  if  his  plans  for  expan- 
sion were  in  a  fair  way  to  be  realized,  when  1776  arrived 
and  with  that  fateful  year  not  only  a  halt  to  progress, 
but  the  practical  annihilation  of  the  resources  of  the 
College  and  the  ruin  of  its  material  equipment. 

'  "  Address  to  the  Inhabitants  of  Jamaica  and  Other  West  India 
I=l.ind=,"  l'hiladc!phi:>...   1772. 


MMMM 


CAMPUS  IIArPEXIXGS 


75 


The  blow  that  the  Kovohition  dealt  Princeton  did  not 
fall  without  warning.    At  the  first  conimcnceracnt  over 
which  Dr.  Withcrspoon  presided  he  had  heard  ominous 
jiolitical  propositions  discussed  on  the  platform  by  the 
young  men  to  whom  he  was  to  give  diplomas.     Com- 
iiuncemcnt  oratorj^  during  his  regime  became  so  pro- 
nounced in  its  anti-British  tone  that  more  than  once  it 
drew  forth  public  remonstrance  from  objectors  whose 
loyalty  to   the   mother   country   could   not   brook   the 
radical  sentiments  of  the  new  "  patriotism,"  and  least  of 
all  when  they  proceeded  out  of  the  mouths  of  academic 
babes  and  sucklings,  taught  by  a  man  but  lately  landed 
on  American  soil.    Dr.  Withcrspoon  soon  heard  himself 
accused  of  teaching  disloyalty  to  his  pupils.    That  he 
looked  over  their  orations  is  indubitable;  college  law 
nniuired  it,  and  public  speaking  held  prominent  place 
in  his  theory  of  the  curriculum;  he  even  wrote  some 
of  their  Latin   discourbcs,   for  at  Princeton  in  those 
days,    as    perhaps    elsewhere,    commencement    orations 
were  not  expected  to  be  the  original  production  of  their 
speakers.    But  student  interest  in  public  affairs  was  not 
confined  to  the  rostrum.    Dr.  Withcrspoon  had  been  in 
office  just  two  years  when  he  witnessed  a  typical  scene 
on  the  campus.    One  day  in  July,  1770,  the  letter  of  the 
recreant   New   York  merchants,   inviting  Philadelphia 
merchants  to  follow  their  example  in  breaking  the  non- 
importation agreement,  came  through  Princeton.     The 
undergraduates  seized  it  and,  "  fired  with  a  just  Indig- 
nation  on    reading   the   infamous   Letter,  ...  at   the 
tolling  of  the  College  Bell,  went  in  Procession  to  a  Place 
fronting  the  College,  and  burnt  the  Letter  by  the  Hands 
of  a   Hangman,   hired   for   the   Purpose,   with  hearty 
Wishes,  that  the  Names  of  all  Promoters  of  such  a  daring 
Breach  of  Faith,  may  be  blasted  in  the  Eyes  of  every 


if 


II 


i.j''s;',.;    iL-iti,:  \lt  i  jSn- 


70 


THE  REVOLUTIONARY  PERIOD 


Lover  of   Liberty,   and  their  Names  handed  down  to 
Posterity  as  Betrayers  of  their  Country."  ' 

At  commencement  that  September  the  entire  gradu- 
ating ehiss  again  proudly  wore  Aim-riean  cloth,  accord- 
ing to  a  unanimous  decision  reached  in  July  and  duly 
commented  on  in  the  New  York  Gazette  of  July  30-; 
and  the  orations  were  more  than  usually  pointed.  The 
occasion  was  marked  by  "  grandeur  and  Decorum,"  de- 
clared a  writer  in  the  Pennsylvama  Gazette.  "  That 
truly  noble  and  patriotic  Spirit  which  intlames  the 
Breasts  of  those  who  are  the  real  Lovers  of  their  Coun- 
try seems  already  implanted  in  theirs  [the  students']. 
What  too  sanguine  Hopes  can  we  have  of  those 
Gentlemen,  and  such  Principles  so  early  instilled  in 

them!  " 

When  in  due  course  the  tea  question  came  up  the 
students  expressed  their  opinion  just  as  plainly,  and 
one  night  in  January,  1774,  burst  into  the  college  store- 
room, seized  the  winter's  supply  of  tea,  raided  the  stu- 
dents' rooms  for  private  stores,  and,  gathering  all  they 
found,  made  a  bonfire  of  it  in  front  of  Nassau  Hall, 
with  an  effigy  of  Governor  Hutchinson  of  Massachusetts 
at  the  heart  of  the  pile  to  give  it  body  as  well  as  mean- 
ing, the  college  bell  tolling  again,  and  the  boys  making 
' '  many  spirited  resolves. ' '  ' 

It  does  not  appear  that  Dr.  Withcrspoon  attempted 
to  check  these  evidences  of  youthful  enthusiasm.  In  fact, 
by  this  time  he  had  become  an  American,  as  he  put 

>  Ixttpr  from  Princeton,  July  13,  1770,  in  A^tc  YorkOazette, 
July  10,  1770.    New  Jersey  Archives,  1st  series,  Vol.  XX\1I,  p. 

203 

»N.  .T.  Archives,  1st  ser.,  Vol.  XXVIl,  p.  209. 

»  Letter  of  C.  C.  Beatty,  class  of  1775,  to  Enoch  Green,  Jan. 
31,  1774.    Library  of  Princeton  University. 


WITIIERSPOON  AND  POLITICS 


77 


it,  and  was  keeping  in  close  touch  with  the  progress 
of  ideas  and  events.  During  the  summer  of  1774  the 
delegates  to  the  Congress  of  that  September  came  from 
the  north  and  east  through  Princeton  on  their  way  to 
Philadelphia,  and  one  of  them,  Mr.  John  Adams,  has 
left  in  his  diary  an  oft-quoted  account  of  the  impres- 
sions he  gained  of  the  political  sentiments  of  the  Col- 
lege and  its  president.  In  the  following  May  the  latter 
wrote  for  the  Committee  of  the  Synod  to  the  congrega- 
tions within  its  bounds  the  admirable  "  Pastoral  Letter  " 
on  the  political  situation ;  in  September  he  preached  his 
trcr-'hant  baccalaureate  on  "  Christian  Magnanimity," 
and  in  May,  1776,  his  well-known  fast-day  sermon  on 
the  "  Dominion  of  Providence,"  wherein  for  the  first 
time  he  publicly  defined  his  position;  and  later  that 
month,  with  four  other  clergj'inen,  he  allowed  himself  to 
be  named  as  a  candidate  for  election  to  the  Provincial 
Congress  of  New  Jersey,  much  to  the  displeasure  of 
those  who  felt  that  ministers  should  not  meddle  with 
politics.  He  had  scarcely  taken  his  seat  as  a  delegate 
in  this  body  when  he  found  himself  chosen,  not  unwill- 
ingly, a  delegate  from  the  Province  of  New  Jersey  to 
the  Continental  Congress  at  Philadelphia,  and  for  the 
next  six  years  he  was  more  or  less  a  college  president 
in  absentia. 

He  was  in  Congress  when  the  resolution  and  the  dec- 
laration of  independence  were  passed,  and  late  that 
summer  he  signed  the  engrossed  copy  of  the  latter  docu- 
ment. Nassau  Hall  was  illuminated  when  the  news  of 
the  declaration  of  independence  was  read  on  the  even- 
ing of  July  9,  and  independence  was  proclaimed  amid 
volleys  of  musketry  and  with  universal  acclamation.  It 
had  been  au  exciting  spring  in  College,  and  one  suspects 
that  scant  attention  was  paid  to  the  business  of  educa- 


mmm 


78  TIIH  KKVOIATIONARY  I'EKIOD 

tion.    Tho  prosidrnt  was  (Urp  in  politics,  and  froiiu^ntly 
aw.'iy.     Against   his   wishes— for  ho  did  not  think  the 
tiniJ  had  yet  arrived  for  collcffc  boys  to  join  the  army- 
a  company  of  volunteers  had  been  formed  among  the 
undert,'raduates  and  had  marehed  away  to  enlist,  some 
of  those  who  were  seniors  eomin«?  back  for  their  degrees 
at  commeneement.     American  troops   passing  through 
the  village  had  been  quartered  in  unoccupied  portions 
of  Nassau  Hall  and  had  added  to  the  general  confusion. 
Professor   Houston   had   accepted   a  captaincy   in  the 
local  militia  and  had  been  dividing  his  time  between 
collegiate  and  military  duties.     lie  resigned  his  com- 
mission in  August,  1777,  for  the  interesting  reason  that 
he  found  he  could  not  give  proper  attention  to  his  com- 
pany on  account  of  increased  academic  duties  in  the 
ab.sencc  of  the  president. 

To  him  and  to  the  tutors  Dr.  Withcrspoon  had  in- 
trusted the  care  of  the  College  when  he  rode  away  in 
July.  1776.  to  take  his  seat  in  Congress.     His  inten- 
tion  was  i  -  visit  Princeton  as  often  as  he  could,  and 
in  carrying  it  out  he  was  aided  by  his  frequent  appoint- 
ment on  congressional  committees,  whose  work  entailed 
traveling.     It  was  a  rare  journey  that  did  not  allow 
him  to  turn  up  eventually  at  Princeton.    One-  of  his  first 
errands  of  this  kind  sent  him  to  Washington's  camp 
early  in  November,  1776.    He  saw  enough  into  the  fu- 
ture to  make  him  reach  a  prudent  decision  in  regard 
to  the  College;  and  as  he  came  through  Princeton  on 
his  return,  although  the  winter  terra  had  just  opened, 
he  assembled  the  students  in  the  prayer-hall,  pointed 
out  the  gravity  of  their  situation  in  the  very  path  of 
the  oncoming  British,  and  in  a  few  solemn  words  dis- 
banded College.    A  contemporary  diary  tells  how  hastily 


DISBAXDIXG  COLLKUE 


7!) 


the  students  scattiTcd,'  and  a  letter  of  Dr.  Witlicrspoon 
to  one  of  his  sons  describes  how  hp  bore  liis  family  away 
to  safety.  A  little  later  Nassau  Hall  fell  an  easy  prey 
to  an  enemy  whose  mood  was  plainly  retaliatory.  What 
with  its  use  as  barraeks  and  hospital,  first  by  the  British 
and  Hessians  and,  after  the  battle  of  Princeton,  by  every 
[)assing  body  of  American  troops,  five  years  were  to 
ehipse  before  the  authorities  regained  sole  possession  of 
the  buildinjf,  and  almost  twice  as  many  before  they  could 
even  partially  make  good  the  damage  begun  by  the 
enemy  and  completed  by  their  successors.  Workmen 
were  still  employed  on  Nassau  Hall  when  the  nine- 
teenth century  dawned.  On  January  3,  1777,  the  date 
of  the  battle  of  Princeton,  Nassau  Hall  changed  hands 
three  times.  At  dawn  it  was  a  British  stronghold ;  later 
in  the  morning  it  was  surrendered  to  Washington's  vic- 
torious troops,  who  remained  only  long  enough  to  seize 
prisoners  and  destroy  booty,  leaving  the  building  to  be 
reoecupied  by  the  British,  who  had  hastened  back  from 
^laidenhead  (Lawrenceville)  and  Trenton.  And  when 
the  enemy  passed  on  in  desperate  hurry  to  roach  New 
Brunswick  and  the  base  of  supplies,  the  battered  shell 
of  a  college  building  was  left  deserted  for  General  Put- 
nam with  a  large  American  force  to  occupy  later  in  the 
month  as  a  barracks,  a  hospital,  and  a  military  prison. 
During  the  closing  engagement  of  the  battle  on  Jan- 
uary 3,  a  couple  of  round  shot  were  fired  at  it  by  an 

*  One  of  them,  James  Ashton  Bayard  of  the  class  of  1777,  .son 
of  Colonel  ,John  Bayard  of  Philadelphia,  on  his  way  home  to  his 
piircnts  was  caught  by  a  party  of  British  troops,  pronounced  a 
rebel  and  the  son  of  a  rebel,  flung  into  a  Philadelphia  prison, 
and  condemned  to  be  hanged  as  a  spy.  His  mother  secured  an 
interview  with  Sir  William  Howe,  and  Washington  also  inter- 
vened; and  at  the  last  moment,  as  he  stood  awaiting  his  doom 
with  a  halter  around  his  neck,  the  boy  was  released.  (.J.  G.  Wil- 
son, "  Life  of  Col.  John  Bavard,"  A'.  Y.  Gen.  and  Biog.  Record, 
Vol.  XVI,  p.  fiO.) 


80  TIIK  KKVOM'TlONAIiY   I'KKIUD 

American  hattcrv  coininaii.l.'d  l.y  Al.-xandcr  Hamilton, 
who,  it  is  said,  iiad  as  a  would-bo  stud.-nt  on.-e  soufiht 
to  rntcr  the  .-ollok'*'  whose  huihliim  h.-  was  now  bombard- 
in^r.  One  of  these  shot  ripped  up  the  eeilinf?  of  the  dis- 
manth-d  i)ray.T-hall.  and  anoth.-r  strueii  the  portrait  of 
Oeorge  li.  k'iving  a  last  toueh  to  the  wreck  of  the  apart- 
ment. .     . 

Dr.  Witherspoon  end.\ivored  to  open  college  again  in 
May,  1777.  announcing,  however,  that  the  session  would 
prob'ablv  begin  at  a  safer  place  than  Princeton;  but  it 
was  not   until   July  that  exercises  were  resumed  and 
then  with  only  a  handful  of  students.    Nassau  Hall  was 
in  such  condition  that  recitations  had  to  be  held  in  the 
president's  house,  instruction  being  given  by  Professor 
Houston  and  a  tutor,  with  the  president's  incidental  as- 
sistance.   There  was  no  money  in  the  treasury  for  re- 
pairs, and  recitations  continued  in  the  president's  house 
during  the  winter  of  1777-78.    During  the  year  1778-79 
Jilr.  Houston  carried  on  the  teaching  alone.    Commence- 
ment had  been  held  as  usual,  but  the  conferring  of  de- 
grees was  postponed.     Temporary  repairs  having  been 
begun,  recitations  in  Nassau  Hall  were  once  more  possi- 
ble, and  a  few  students  were  even  able  to  live  in  the 
building.    In  the  spring  of  1779  there  were  thirty  boys 
in  the  grammar  school— clear  testimony  of  public  con- 
fidence in  Dr.  Witherspoon ;  but  for  the  greater  part  of 
the  year  the  number  of  undergraduates  scarcely  reached 
double  figures.     There  arc  no  annual  catalogues  from 
which  to  obtain  the  current  roll  of  students;  but  in  1776 
the   graduating  class  had  numbered  twenty -seven ;   in 
1777"it  numbered  seven ;  and  during  the  next  five  years 
it  averaged  six.    After  1782  the  size  of  the  graduating 
class  slowly  increased,  averaging  twenty,  with  the  largest 
class  on  record,  thirty  seven,  in  1792.     In  December, 


LOSSES 


81 


1771).  tlu'  prosidont's  son-in-hiw,  Samuil  Stunliopt-  Smith, 
uiw  atlilt'd  to  the  faculty  as  protVssor  of  moral  philoso- 
phy, Dr.  VVithorspoon  n-litupiishinj?  half  his  salarj'  for 
tln'  purpose.  In  1780  prospects  briplitencd  Students 
were  corning  to  Princeton  from  various  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, and  some  even  from  the  West  Indies.  In  October, 
178U,  there  were  seventeen  or  eighteen  undergraduates, 
liesides  sixty  or  seventy  grammar  scholars.*  The  prcsi- 
ilent  and  Professor  Smith  were  now  doing  the  teaching, 
while  Professor  lI(juston  took  President  VVitherspoon's 
place  in  Congress.  In  1781  the  trio  shared  the  instruc- 
tion, and  after  that  date  tutors  were  once  more  engaged. 
Hut  the  College  did  not  recover  in  Witherspoon's  time 
from  the  material  setback  it  had  received.  Investigation 
showed  that  sixty-six  per  cent,  of  the  moneys  collected 
l»y  Tennent  and  Da  vies  was  wiped  out  in  the  Revolu- 
tion and  a  conservative  estimate  of  all  losses,  including 
damages,  placed  the  total  at  not  less  than  £10,000. 
The  financial  management,  moreover,  had  for  years 
been  distinctly  bad.  Probably  no  system,  however  per- 
fect, would  have  survived  the  war  unscathed;  but  at 
Princeton  there  seems  to  have  been  little  or  no  sy.stera 
at  all.  Interest  was  allowed  on  debts  of  the  corporation, 
but  frequently  none  was  collected  on  debts  due.  No 
effort  was  made  to  increase  capital  in  bank.  Arrearages 
owed  to  the  college  were  sometimes  lost  entirely  because 
prompt  collection  was  neglected.  The  result  was  that 
current  expenses  were  often  paid  out  of  capital ;  and  this 
condition  had  existed  before  the  war.  It  is  not  surpris- 
ing, therefore,  that  the  story  of  the  remaining  years  of 
Dr.  Witherspoon's  administration  is  the  story  of  a  con- 
stant struggle  to  secure  sufficient  funds  to  rehabilitate 
the  college  and  to  pay  current  salaries.  Of  the  presi- 
•  Ezra  Stiles,  "  Literary  Diary,"  Vol.  II,  pp.  453,  488. 


i 


f 

i 


„ 


m-m 


t^.jsii^'dm 


•i 


82 


THE  REVOLUTIONARY  PERIOD 


./ 


dont's  own  labors,  of  his  personal  sacrifices,  of  his  gen- 
erosities to  needy  students,  this  is  not  the  place  to  speak ; 
such  matters  belong  rather  to  his  biographer.  No  better 
testimony  to  the  pitifully  difficult  situation  could  be 
found  than  the  description  of  the  campus  by  Morcau  de 
St.  Mery,>  as  he  saw  it  in  the  spring  of  1794,  the  last 
year  of  Dr.  Witherspoou 's  life,— the  ill-kept  inelosure 
overgrown  with  weeds  and  littered  with  the  dung  of  cat- 
tle that  grazed  on  the  rough  turf,-  the  dismounted  can- 
non, the  dilapidated  condition  of  the  briek  wall  separat- 
ing campus  from  street,  the  appearance  of  general  decay 
and  helpless  poverty. 

In  the  spring  of  1782,  when  Nassau  Hall  ceased  to  be 
regarded  as  public  property,  a  large  portion  of  the  build- 
ing was  still  untenantable.  The  grammar  school  was 
housed  in  one  room  in  the  basement,  and  the  refectory 
was  temporarily  located  in  another,  while  the  forty 
students  in  residence  occupied  rooms  in  the  central  por- 
tion of  the  edifice.' 

The  rest  of  the  building  was  mostly  bare  partition 
walls  and  heaps  of  fallen  plaster.  In  an  effort  to  get 
funds  from  Europe,  the  board  in  the  winter  of  1783-84 
sent  the  president  to  England.  But  he  had  been  too 
prominent  in  American  affairs,  his  name  had  been 
trumpeted  through  Great  Britain  as  that  of  a  traitor; 
and  he  came  back  to  Princeton  with  a  balance  of  only 
five  pounds  and  a  few  shillings  above  his  expenses.     In 

'  "  Voyage  aux  Etats  Unis  de  I'Ani^riquo,  1793-1798."  Edited 
by  S.  L.  Mims.    New  Haven,  1913,  p.  IIG. 

'The  pasturing  right  was  rented  out  and  not  until  1845  was 
grazing  and  the  driving  of  cattle  through  the  campus  to  the 
meadows  beyond  forbidden. 

•  ••  My  Room,  tliough  not  yet  furnished."'  wrote  Peter  Elmen- 

rf  ot'the  class  of  1782  on  liis  arrival  in  1781,  "  is  decent,  clean 


dorf 

an 

desiri 


d  nobly  situated,  we  have  the  finest  Prospect  that  ever  can  be 
sired.'    Letter  in  Library  of  Princeton  University. 


ADDITIONS  TO  FACULTY 


83 


a  further  effort  to  raise  money,  an  extra  two  pounds 
was  levied  on  each  student  for  room  rent ;  Congress  was 
{)etitioued  to  make  a  liberal  grant  of  western  land — but 
turned  a  deaf  ear. 

Money  was,  however,  collected  in  trivial  amounts,  a 
liundred  dollars  here  and  two  hundred  there.  And  with 
supreme  courage  in  the  future  the  president  began  to 
strengthen  his  faculty.  Ashbel  Green  of  1783,  later 
the  president  of  the  college,  was  promoted  in  1785  from 
a  tutorship  to  the  professorship  of  mathematics  and 
natural  philosophy,  on  the  resignation  of  Houston.  When 
Green  resigned  in  1787  Dr.  Witherspoon  put  in  his  place 
Walter  Minto,  who  had  been  educated  at  Edinburgh 
and  before  he  ever  reached  America  had  become  a  mathe- 
matician of  some  note  in  Europe  with  astronomy  as  his 
speciaU^,  and  who  at  this  date  was  head  of  the  Academy 
at  Flushing,  Long  Island.  Meanwhile,  the  College  was 
growing  again.  In  1786  there  were  ninety  undergradu- 
ates an  1  forty  grammar  scholars  enrolled.^  Dr.  Wither- 
spoon had  come  back  from  Europe  in  1784  wdth  heart  as 
brave  as  ever.  In  spite  of  blindness,  domestic  bereave- 
ment, and  private  financial  troubles,  he  continued  public 
duties  in  college,  church,  and  state  practically  until  the 
year  of  his  death.  He  presided  at  his  last  faculty  meet- 
ing in  September,  1794,  and  two  months  later,  suddenly 
though  not  unexpectedly,  died  at  Tusculum,  the  country 
seat  he  had  built  near  Princeton.  His  body  lay  in  state 
in  Nassau  Hall,  and  there  the  funeral  exercises  were 
held. 

Although  the  picturesque  accidents  of  history  that  go 

toward  making  local  tradition  cannot  atone  for  academic 

ill-fortune,  the  College  in  Witherspoon 's  day  at  least 

witnessed  them  in  plenty.    Princeton  seemed  to  lie  in- 

'  Ezra  Stiles,  "  Literary  Diary,"  Vol.   Ill,   p.   235. 


fi*»^"^  ^^pimi^»mwf^' 


84 


THE  REVOLUTIONARY  PERIOD 


evitably  in  their  path.     Campus  happenings  like  the 
"  Princeton   Tea   Party  "   have   been   mentioned.     In 
August,  1776,  the  first  legislature  of  New  Jersey  under 
a  state  constitution  met  in  the  col  lego  library  room  above 
the  entrance  to  Nassau  Hall.    Here  the  first  governor 
of  the  State  was  inducted  into  office ;  here  the  Great  Seal 
of  the  State  was  devised  and  adopted ;  and  here  the  legis- 
lature sat  until  October.    In  November,  1777,  the  legis- 
lature returned  to  Princeton  and  remained  a  year.    The 
council  of  safety  organized  by  the  provincial  congress 
in  1776  had  frequently  met  at  Princeton.    In  1779,  when 
the  Delaware  chieftains  came  east  to  make  their  pact 
with  the  Continental  Congress,  they  passed  on  to  Prince- 
ton to  consult  their  friend  and  sponsor.  Colonel  George 
Morgan,  and  pitched  their  camp  on  his  side  of  the  turf 
wall  separating  his  model  farm  "  Prospect  "  from  col- 
lege grounds.    As  a  result  of  this  conference  three  Indian 
boys,  sons  of  chieftains,  were  left  in  Colonel  i\Iorgan's 
care,  to  be  educated  under  Dr.  Witherspoon  at  govern- 
ment expense.     Evidences  of  their  wrestlings  with  the 
art  of  penmanship,  and  official  reports  on  their  attempts 
to  translate  Caesar  into  the  vernacular  are  still  on  file 
among  the  papers  of  the  Continental  Congress.     Only 
the  youngest,   George  WhiteEyes,   advanced   into  col- 
lege, though  he  never  reached  the  commencement  plat- 
form.    Ineradicable  homesickness,  coupled  as  the  years 
went  on  with  congressional  neglect,  ended  his  academic 
career  in  junior  year,  and  ultimately  he  was  sent  home 
to  his  own  people,  not  laureated,  but  at  last  happy  once 
more.^ 

'  The  visit  of  the  Delaware  chieftains  in  1779  was  not  the  only 
occasion  of  the  sort.  One  evening  in  the  winter  of  1805-00  word 
was  passed  around  the  college  refectory  during  supper  that  a 
large  party  of  Little  Osage  Indians  had  put  up  for  the  night  at 
Princeton,  and  that  President  Smith  was  bringing  them  over  to 


i.WMsm^.:, 


^;^/l-*/.J 


J. « 

II 

1 
I 

1 

]1 

"' 

1 


y,  '/*y  i/ ;?/fjt^  ; 


,C^     "■' 


,,^ji^ii^j**t^:*^ 


/i*^:Cf,- 


.<''*■ 


>S^  A^^r^  v.^-  ■'^>  ^-r^^  '« 


^-/... 


Q  ^r''' 


,<^' 


Letter  of  Facilty  to  President  of  Congress  Offer- 
ing Use  of  Xassai    Hall,  June.  1783 


CONGRESS  AT  PRINCETON 


85 


In  January,  1781,  the  mutinous  Pennsylvania  troops 
broke  their  march  at  Princeton  and  encamped  on  Colonel 
Morgan's  grounds.  Here  it  was  that  the  parley  took 
place  between  their  leaders  and  the  congressional  com- 
mittee, of  which  General  Joseph  Reed  (1757)  and  Presi- 
den  Witherspoon  were  members.  And  in  September  of 
the  same  year  Roehambeau's  army  made  Princeton  a 
halting  place  on  its  march  from  Newport,  Rhode  Island, 
to  join  Lafayette  at  Yorktown. 

Another  and  more  serious  mutiny  turned  Nassau  Hall 
for  a  few  brief  months  into  a  federal  office  building,  and 
the  village  of  Princeton  into  a  gay  and  brilliant  capital. 
For  in  June,  1783,  the  Continental  Congress,  frightened 
away  from  Philadelphia  by  a  small  band  of  mutineers, 
fled  to  Princeton  and  continued  its  session  in  Nassau 
Hall  until  November.  Peace  had  been  declared,  and 
Congress  was  marking  time  until  the  arrival  of  the 
Definitive  Treaty.  But,  although  there  was  plenty  to  do, 
and  a  little  serious  business  was  indeed  transacted,  the 
stay  of  Congress  at  Princeton  savored  a  good  deal  of  a 
junketing  party.  Beside  unofficial  social  activities,  of 
which  there  were  plenty,  Congress  honored  each  college 
function  with  its  presence,  attending  in  a  body,  for  in- 
stance, that  year's  Fourth  of  July  celebration  and  the 
commencement  exercises  in  September.  In  August 
Washington  moved  his  household  to  Princeton,  making 
his  headquarters  at  Rocky  Hill,  three  miles  from  Prince- 
ton, and  becoming  a  familiar  figure  in  the  neighborhood. 

College  and  if  the  undergraduates  behaved  themselves  he  would 
introduce  the  visitors.  The  strangers  were  brought  in  and  shown 
around;  and  then,  to  tlie  infinite  delight  of  the  spectators,  they 
performed  a  war-dance  in  the  shadowy  campus,  and  finally  with  a 
war-song,  which  to  one  collegian  at  least  was  "  tha  most  awful 
soul  thrilling  sound  "  he  had  ever  heard,  sang  themselves  home 
along  the  dark  village  street  back  to  their  tavern.  (Cf.  John 
folmston.  "  Autohingr.^phy."     New  York,  !S5G,  p.  75.) 


.■'  i 


1 


tj;ii^:dm:' 


&■    99  ^ »'  '^'J I    iJ^^IO&ilil~li!jiHn\l'iii 


86 


THE  REVOLUTIONARY  PERIOD 


1 


In  the  prayer-hall  ho  receivi'd,  at  a  formal  audience 
with  Congress,  the  thanks  of  the  nation  for  his  conduct 
t>f  the  war.  At  coinmencenicnt  he  was,  of  course,  the 
iiiarked  guest,  and  with  Congress  sat  on  the  platform 
»nd  is  said  to  have  showed  some  embarrassment  at  the 
vomplimentary  language  of  Ashbel  Green,  the  valedic- 
torian of  the  day.  As  evidence  of  his  esteem  he  presented 
fifty  guineas  to  the  College,  a  gift  which  the  trustees  did 
not  sink  into  the  bottomless  pit  of  repairs,  but  spent  in 
commissioning  Charles  Wilson  Peale  to  paint  the  Gen- 
eral's portrait,  placing  it  the  next  year  in  the  frame  that 
had  held  George  the  Second's  unlucky  likeness.^ 

In  October  the  first  authentic  news  of  the  signing  of 
the  Definitive  Treaty  of  peace  -  was  received  by  Congress 
just  as  it  had  assembled  in  the  prayer-hall  to  welcome 

•  Princeton  seems  to  have  occupied  a  unique  place  in  Washing- 
ton's regard.  His  acquaint.. nee  with  tlie  village  began  in  1775 
when  he  passed  through  it  on  his  way  to  assume  command  of  the 
army  at  Cambridge.  In  December,  1776,  he  hurried  through  it  in 
his  retreat  across  the  State.  The  battle  of  January,  1777,  brought 
him  back.  In  1783  he  arrived  to  stay  in  the  neighborhood 
until  the  autumn,  town  and  gown  welcoming  him  with  an  address. 
In  April,  1789,  on  his  way  to  New  York  to  take  the  oath  of 
office  he  spent  a  night  at  Princeton  and  once  more  received  an 
address  of  welcome  and  congratulation,  and  in  the  following  sum- 
mer, returning  from  New  York  to  Philadelphia,  he  spent  an  after- 
noon at  Princeton.  Princeton  University  Bulletin,  Vol.  XI, 
p.  54. 

He  held  high  opinion  of  Dr.  Witherspoon  and  sought  his  ad- 
vice in  the  edueation  of  George  W.  Parke  Custis,  his  ward. 
To  the  latter  in  later  years  lie  wrote  his  opinion  of  Princeton  and 
of  Dr.  Smith,  Wither  spoon's  successor,  when  at  last  the  boy  became 
a  student  in  Nassau  Hall.  And  Princet^nians  are  apt  to  remem- 
ber with  pride  that  Washington,  as  presidert  of  the  United 
States,  appointed  Oliver  Ellsworth,  1760,  chief  justice  of  the 
United  States.  William  Paterson.  1763.  a  .justie."  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  as  his  first  two  Attorneys  General,  William  Bradford, 
1774,  and  Charles  Lee,  1775. 

'  The  treaty  itself  was  not  received  at  Princeton  as  is  so  often 
claimed,  and  Mr.  Boudinot.  President  of  Congress  while  at 
Princeton,  did  not  sign  it.  (Cf.  Collins,  "The  Continental  Con- 
gress at  Princeton,"  Princeton,  N.  -T.,  1908,  p.  231.) 


i^'iffiL^iSII 


iiiiiiiiia 


mm^ 


.IM'vrJft^ 


'.*»>%.  ..■,.  .  ifTa'i^srti..  t jtii^ 


WITHERSPOON'S  ADMINISTRATION        87 

in  formal  audience  the  Honorable  Peter  van  Berekel,  the 
liist  foreign  minister  accredited  to  the  United  States 
lifter  independence  had  been  acknowledged  by  Great 
Britain.  In  fact  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1783  saw 
a  constant  stream  of  notable  persons  passing  through 
Princeton  under  circumstances  that  must  have  been  hope- 
lessly distracting  to  undergraduates  on  study  bent,  if 
there  were  any.  Those  were  gala  days  for  the  College, 
and  golden  days  for  house  and  tavern  keepers. 

But  it  is  not  alone  incidents  like  these  that  give  Dr. 
Witherspoon's  administration  distinction.  How  he  con- 
trived amid  the  innumerable  calls  that  his  public  char- 
acter as  a  churchman  and  a  statesman  brought  him,  to 
t:ive  any  time  or  attention  to  academic  duties  must  re- 
main a  marvel.  And  yet  the  fact  is  that  he  ever  con- 
sidered the  College  his  first  duty,  and  the  results  of  his 
administration  prove  the  efficiency  of  his  service.  Of 
the  immediate  improvement  he  made  in  the  grammar 
school,  mention  has  been  already  made.  His  changes  in 
the  college  curriculum  will  be  described  in  detail  in  a 
subsequent  chapter,  but  it  may  be  said  here  that  he 
strengthened  it  in  philosophical,  literary,  and  historical 
lines.  So  completely  did  he  win  the  confidence  of  his 
trustees  that  they  gave  him  free  hand  in  re-arranging 
the  course  of  study.  Aside  from  the  changes  he  insti- 
tuted in  the  curriculum,  his  influence  was  strongly  felt 
ill  the  transformation  he  effected  in  current  philosophi- 
cal thinking.  For  the  Berkleyan  idealism  which  he 
found  popular  in  college  on  his  arrival,  he  substituted 
by  the  force  of  his  own  criticism  the  philosophy  of  com- 
mon sense,  of  which  he  became  America's  first  great 
exponent,  making  Princeton  the  headquarters  of  a  phil- 
osophical movement  which  was  carried  by  her  graduates 
across  the  Allegheny  Mountains  and  down  the  Cumber- 


•'4. 


■'•^■J^ 


1 1 

•I 


88 


THE  REVOLUTIONARY  PERIOD 


land  Valley  into  Virginia,  Kentucky,  and  the  great 
Southwest.  Whether  this  movement  proved  to  be  an  in- 
tellectual glacier,  to  borrow  Professor  Riley's  phrase,* 
and  the  Princeton  school  of  philosophy  actually  retarded 
the  progress  of  American  speculative  thinking  or  not,  is 
a  question  for  philosophers  to  debate ;  Dr.  Witherspoon's 
course  in  moral  philosophy  was  at  any  rate  the  first 
coarse  given  in  an  American  college  in  exposition  of  a 
definite  philosophical  system.  His  lectures  on  history, 
politics,  and  civil  government  were  likewise  novelties, 
and  were  eagerly  listened  to. 

The  general  use  of  lectures  under  Witherspoon  has  led 
to  the  erroneous  belief  that  he  introduced  this  method 
of  teaching  at  Princeton.  But  the  lecture  method  was 
in  use  in  President  Burr's  day.  Dr.  Witherspoon  and 
Professor  Minto  largely  extended  its  application,  trained 
as  they  both  were  under  Scottish  disciplines.  In  Wither- 
spoon's own  courses  he  dictated  a  syllabus  to  his  classes, 
filled  in  with  comment  and  illustration  the  outline  each 
student  thus  possessed,  and  then  held  recitations  on  the 
combination.  It  is  in  this  syllabus  form  that  his  lectures 
on  moral  philosophy,  jurisprudence,  civics,  literary 
criticism,  and  divinity  have  come  down.  The  fact  that 
his  lectures  on  history  have  not  been  preserved  even  in 
this  shape  suggests  that  they  were  not  dictated  but  were 
genuine  lectures  in  the  modem  sense  of  the  word.  Ob- 
viously the  bare  outlines  of  the  surviving  lectures  can- 
not begin  to  do  justice  to  his  courses.  The  method  of 
their  formation  led  to  the  development  of  a  system  known 
as  "  making  studies,"  or  written  copies,  of  some  espe- 
cially good  set  of  notes  which  came  to  be  the  standard 
and  were  sold  or  copied  by  one  class  after  another.  For 


'I.   W.   Riley, 
p.  478. 


'American   Philosophy:    The   Early   Schools," 


".•TO 


-.OT^y-,,.;:^.  ■  \. 


a-  -- 


IMPROVEMENTS  H9 

example,  in  1801  John  Johnston  regretfully  found  him- 
self compelled,  as  he  says,  to  "make  studies  "  of  Presi- 
-lent  Smith's  lectures  on  moral  philosophy  and  Pro. 
tessor  Maclean's  lectures  on  chemistry;  and  Amos  Ell. 
"inker  of  1805  heartily  congratulates  himself  that  he  has 
'ought  his  "  studies  "  for  the  next  year-"  I  would  not 
like  to  have  to  write  my  studies  "-for  the  excellent 
undergraduate  reason  that  "  this  season  of  the  year 
[early  spring]  renders  the  health  of  the  sedentary  pre- 
carious.  '  •  j  i   ^ 

No  scientist  himself,  Dr.  Witherspoon  nevertheless  ap- 
preciated the  value  of  experimental  science,  and  his 
prompt  effort  to  improve  the  college  equipment  in  scien- 
t.hc  apparatus  has  been  pointed  out.  A  similar  con- 
Mderation  for  science  led  him  in  1787  to  call  Walter 

phitophy''^  ^'"^  ''  "^^'^"^^^^^^  -^  experimental 
Particularly  emphasizing  in  his  curriculum  the  art  of 
public  speaking  and  the  study  of  English,  another  trait 
of  his  Scottish  training,  he  instituted  the  system  of  prize 
competitions  held  at  commencement  which  lasted  long 
atter  his  time.  *^ 

lie  also  laid  the  foundation  of  a  graduate  department 

ntn  ^^'ll;'  '^'"^  '"'"^'^"^  ^^«  ^^^^^  students  to 
raurn  for  further  study  and  advanced  reading  under 
Ins  supervision  and  direction. 

Discipline  under  Witherspoon  was  firm,  but  gen- 
oruus.  He  knew  when  to  be  stern  and  when  to  overlook. 
Confession  of  a  breach  of  college  law,  made  in  a  form 
drawn  up  by  the  faculty,  entered  in  the  minutes,^'  and 

'Library  of  Princeton  University 

mto  rdSr^^'J't^l'Vl,'""''  ""*^  «^P''^"  ^^'«yne,  Laving  got 

investigation  th^8en?r^fnthr"i-^'r"'^«^  ^^■«^-"«'  ^^t^r  faculty 
m.„t  rf  t\  If        ^, '"  ^"'^  minutes  puts  on  record  t>>p  -ct*]^ 

-  ..t  of  th.  matter,  under  date  of  August  25,  1791 :'"  Tlie  follow-" 


^»i.  ..■  %. 


:jm.:^^Siam^tu^-^m " 


•I 


90 


THE  UHVULITIOXAUY  I'KHIOD 


read  by  the  culprit  I'ithor  in  the  prcspnco  of  his  class, 
or  from  his  scat  in  chapel  before  tiic  whoh'  college, — in 
aggravated  cases,  from  the  chapel  rostrum — always  led 
to  restoration  to  standinfj.  One  day  a  pan  of  dish-water 
set  over  a  door  in  Nassau  Hall  as  a  trap  for  someone 
else  fell  upon  the  president's  head,  and  when  the  prac- 
tical joker  came  forth  and  his  expectant  mirth  turned 
into  trembling  apologies,  Dr.  Witherspoon  merely  re- 
minded hira  of  the  college  law  which  forbade  the  casting 
of  water  of  any  kind  into  the  entries  or  out  of  windows, 
and,  shaking  his  drenched  slioulders.  passed  on.  The 
faculty's  minutes  of  those  days  record  that  one  night 
some  students  tied  a  calf  in  the  prayer-hall  pulpit ;  within 
a  day  or  two  three  were  expelled  and  two  dismissed. 

ing  are  copies  of  the  confossion  &  aKrocmcnt  Frederic  Stone  & 
Stephen  Wayne  made  &  sif;tied   in  the  i)resence  of  tiie  faculty — 

'  1  confess  tiiat  1  have  been  {luilty  of  a  flagrant  viohition  of 
order  &  an  olTence  against  the  peace  &  laws  of  the  college  in  the 
attack  which  I  lately  made  on  Mr.  Wayne  my  fellow  student  & 
I  sincerely  &  unreservedly  profess  myself  sorry  for  this  ofTence. 
So  impressed  am  I  on  this  subject  that  I  believe  &  acknowledge 
that  the  sentence  adj edged  in  tlie  case  l,y  the  faculty  is  the  most 
lenient  they  can  accejjt  in  consistency  with  the  peace  &  good 
government  of  the  college.  I  do  moreover  if  I  have  given  offence 
to  the  faculty  or  any  branch  of  it  by  neglect  of  duty  or  otiier- 
wise  hereby  make  my  acknowledgement  &  request  them  to  forgive 
it.     Frederic  Stone.' 

'  Copy  of  the  mutur.i  agreement  between  Messieurs  Wayne  & 
Stone. 

We  Frederic  Stone  &  Stephen  Waj-ne  do  mutually  promise 
to  forget  &  forgive  the  subject  of  our  late  quarrel  &  the  assault 
Frederic  Stone  made  upon  Stephen  Wayne — .And  we  do  pledge 
ourselves  before  the  faculty  of  the  college  &  by  our  word  & 
honour  that  we  will  never  call  it  up  or  make  it  the  ground  of  dis- 
pute or  quarrel  either  while  we  continue  subject  to  the  laws  of  the 
XMsllege  or  afterwards  in  future  life. 

And  I  Stephen  Wayne  do  agree  to  stop  the  proceedings  begim 
jn  the  case  in  the  civil  court. 

And  I  Frederic  Stone  do  agree  to  defray  the  expenses  thiit 
have  therein    already   accrued. 

In  witness  of  the  above  we  have  hereunto  severally  set  our  hands 
this  25th  day  of  August  A.  D.  1791.  Frederic  Stone 

Stephen  W.iyne.' " 


ii'-.^' 


WITIIKKSl'OOX  AS  PKESIDENT  91 

TJioso  who  t'oufcssed  with  penitence  were  reinstated. 
But  on  another  occasion,  when  a  group  of  students  de- 
chired  themselves  injured  by  a  resolution  of  the  faculty 
concerning  u  disturbance  in  which  they  had  been  impli- 
cated, and,  therefore,  dcnumded  honorable  dismissal,  the 
president  instantly  retorted  by  announcing  their  sum- 
mary expulsion;  and  not  until  retraction  of  the  demand 
and  an  apology  to  president  and  faculty  were  forthcom- 
ing, would  he  so  much  as  consider  their  penitent  request 
for  rc-instatement. 

Dr.  Witherspoon  was  always  willing  to  enter  into  the 
•spirit  of  an  occasion.  On  his  second  marriage  a  delega- 
tion of  students  went  out  to  Tusculum  to  ask  for  a  day 's 
holiday  to  celebrate  the  event.  The  president  invited 
the  committee  in  to  drink  the  bride's  health,  and  sent 
them  back  to  the  campus  with  three  days'  liberty  for 
tile  College  instead  of  one. 

He  was  possibly  well  aware  that  his  scientific;  farming 
was  the  source  of  much  quiet  amusement  among  his 
students;  but  lie  shrewdly  availed  himself  of  his  Tus- 
culum estate  as  a  safety-valve  for  their  superfluous  en- 
orgy,  and  he  had  them  help  him  work  his  garden  and 
reap  his  fields. 

Despite  mediocrity  of  voice  and  stature,  he  had  an 
air  of  authority  that  carried  weight.  Not  given  to  much 
speech,  there  was  a  finality  in  his  language  when  he  did 
express  himself  that  usually  closed  debate  on  ecclesiasti- 
cal or  legislative  floors  and  which  easily  silenced  op- 
position on  occasions  of  college  disorder. 

Dr.  AVitherspoon  was  a  great  president,  not  for  the 
actual  progress  the  College  made  during  his  administra- 
tion, nor  merely  for  the  improvements  he  introduced  into 
the  curriculum,  but  for  the  permanent  influence  he  ex- 
erted on  the  young  men  who  came  beneath  his  sway. 


I 


:! 


92 


TMH  UEVOLl  TIONAKY  IMOHIOI) 


-^ 


*^ 


lie  sci/xd  to  the  last  shrod  the  opportunity  Riven  him 
to  iUustrute  the  hiphc^;  jnirposcs  of  the  College  of  New 
Jersey  as  he  eoneeived  them.  "  it  would  he  ahsurd  to 
pretend,"  said  the  Orator  at  Prineeton's  Sesquieenten- 
nial  Cflchration  in  IHIUJ,  "  that  we  ean  distinpnish 
Princt  ton's  toueh  and  method  in  the  Revolution,  or  her 
distinctive  handiwork  in  the  Constitution  of  the  Union. 
We  can  show  nothinj?  more  of  historical  fact  than  that  her 
own  President  took  a  great  place  of  leadership  in  that 
time  of  change,  and  became  one  of  the  first  figures  of 
the  age ;  that  the  college  which  he  led,  and  to  which  he 
gave  his  spirit  contributed  more  than  her  share  of  pub- 
lic men  to  the  making  of  the  nation,  outranked  her  elder 
rivals  in  the  roll  call  of  the  Constitutional  Convention, 
and  seemed  for  a  little  a  seminary  o*'  statesmen  rather 
than  a  quiet  seat  of  academic  learning."* 

In  his  "Address  to  Jamaica  and  the  West  Indies  " 
Witherspoon  had  said:  "  It  has  been  and  shall  be  our 
care  to  use  every  means  in  our  power  to  make  them  [the 
students]  good  men  and  good  scholars;  and  if  thid  be 
the  case  I  shall  hear  of  their  future  character  and  use- 
fulness with  unfoigned  satisfaction  under  every  name 
by  which  a  real  Protestant  can  be  distinguished."  And 
here  at  least  were  an  intention  and  a  hope  in  which  he 
was  not  to  be  disappointed. 

He  drew  students  from  all  ranks  of  society  and  from 
all  parts  of  the  country,  and  he  ruled  a  heterogeneous 
body.  In  its  numbers  were  boys  from  the  most  prominent 
families  of  the  North  and  South — heirs  to  rich  estates 
who  expected  some  day  to  assume  the  responsibilities 
of  tlieir  birth,  boys  like  the  Livingstons,  the  Lees,  the 
Madisons,  the  Blackwells  and  Gardiners,  the  Van  Cort- 

•  Woodrow  Wilson,  in  "  Memorial  Book  of  the  Sesquicentennial 
Celebration,"  p.  113. 


_*W^-i— ^.■-— 


ili 


ift 


wiTiiKiisPooxs  i.\FLri:.\(;K  93 

l.inrlts  nnd  Van  Kcnssclncrs.     With  them  were  youths 
from  hiimhli-  homes,  mid  sons  of  udl  known  puhlic  nnd 
military  men,  hoys  from  Santo  Doirjinjjo  and  (.thcr  West 
Indian  islands,  sovorai  French  hids.  at  h-ast  three  Dela- 
ware Indians  of  hij?h  rank,  nnd  two  fuli-hlooded  negro 
freedmen,  sons  of  rieh  African  prineos,  who  had  been 
sohl  into  slavery  and  were  now  preparing  to  return  to 
Africa  as  missionaries.     Philip  Fithian  wrote  in  1772 
that  the  College  was  filled  with  students  "  not  only  from 
ill  most  every  province  in  this  continent,  hut  we  have  also 
in.'iny  from  the  West  Indies,  &  some  few  from  Europe."  ' 
Thoagh  the  heterogeneity  of  the  undergraduate  body 
hocame  more  pronounced  than  ever  under  Witherspoon, 
it  had  always  been  a  marked  feature  of  the  college;  it 
was  one  form  of  its  democracy,  one  of  its  ways  of  making 
good  the  claim  that  it  was  national  rather  than  provincial 
or  local.    This  heterogeneity  also  showed  tha.    dthough 
religious  InHuenccs  brooded  over  the  birth  of  U,q  College 
and  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  particulnr  originally 
looked  to  it  for  its  chief  supply  of  ministers,  neverthe- 
I'vss,  as  Dr.  Ashbel  Green  long  afterwards  pointed  out 
m  his  historical  "  Notes  "  objecting  to  a  phrase  he  had 
heard  applied  to  Princeton,  the  college  was  not,  and 
was  never  intended  to  be,  principally  a  "  clerical  manu- 
factory, ' '  2 

The  success  that  Dr.  Witherspoon 's  scouting  expedi- 
tions in  the  South  invariably  met  is  easily  explained. 
In  eariier  years  the  college  had  sent  pioneer  ministers 
into  Kentucky,  Maryland,  Virginia,  Georgia,  and  the 
Carnlinas.  Among  these  were  John  Todd  (1749),  Hugh 
Mci.den  (1753),  Joseph  Alexander  (1760),  Hezelciah  J. 
Balch  (1766),  and  David  Caidwell  (1761),  names  found 

Journal  and  Letters,"  Princeton,  1900,  p.  76 
•"  Discourses,"  l'hii:i<!.!p!iia,   1S22,  p,  Z')I. 


t4^tMMiEj^i^^^.>^^k^' 


ifaaii 


94 


THE  REVOLUTIONARY  PERIOD 


^i 


at  the  very  foundation  of  ecclesiastical  and  oducational 
historj-  in  those  States,  and  it  was  a  simple  matter  for 
Withcrspoou  to  glean  for  Princeton  the  fruitage  of  these 
pioneer  influences  among  Southern  families.    During  his 
administration  the  number  of  Southern  students  grew 
so  rapidly  that  careless  observers  might  have  readily 
thought  that  here  was  a  Southern  college  slipped  from  its 
geographical  moorings.     Morcau  de  St.  ^lery,   for  in- 
stance, said  in  179-i  that  there  were  about  eighty  students 
in  residence  "  ehietiy  from  Virginia  and  the  two  Caro- 
linas. ' '    This  statement,  though  probably  extreme,  reflects 
the  undoubtedly  strong  affiliation  which  existed  even  then 
and  which  lasted  until  the  Civil  War.    By  1861  succes- 
sive generations  of  Southern  students  had  given  the  col- 
lege a  distinctive  stamp   among  No/thern  institutions 
of  learning,  which  not  even  war's  cleavage  could  alto- 
gether eradicate.     The  intiuence  of  Princeton  pioneers 
and  of  the  constant  stream  of  young  men  coming  up  to 
Nassau  Hall  and  returning  thence  to  careers  in  their  own 
land  was  one  of  the  most  potent  of  the  constructive 
forces  in  the  early  history  of  the  South  making  for 
character  and  citizenship.    And  the  men  trained  at  in- 
stitutions founded  in  the  South  by  Princeton  graduates 
not  only  became  leaders  of  the  people,  in  the  pulpit,  at 
the  bar,  oa  the  bench,  in  the  halls  of  legislature,  and  in 
the  field  against  their  country's  foe,  but  left  an  indelible 
impression  upon  the  general  moral  tone  of  their  com- 
munities.^   One  of  the  most  difficult  tasks  in  Southern 
educational  historj-,  wrote  the  late  Professor  Herbert  B. 
Adams,-  was  "  to  dislodge  French  philosophy  from  its 

'  Cf.  J.  G.  Hibben,  "  Princeton  and  the  South,"  in  Bachelor  of 
Arts.  May,  1897. 

' "  Thomas  Jefferson  and  the  University  of  Virginia,"  U.  S. 
Bureau  of  Education,  Circ.  of  Information,  No.  1.  Washington, 
1888;  p.  28. 


A- 


PRIXCETOX  IX  PUBLIC  LIFE 


95 


academic  stronghold  in  Xorth  and  South  Carolina.  It 
was  done  by  a  strong  current  of  Scotch  Presbyterianism 
proceeding  from  Princeton  College  southward."  Opin- 
ions perhaps  may  differ  as  to  whether  this  achievement, 
in  its  cultural  effects,  was  an  unqualified  boon;  but  it  is 
an  illustration  of  the  influence  the  College  of  Xcw  Jer- 
sey was  exerting.  Aim  no  president  of  Princeton  gave 
greater  impetus  to  that  influence  than  Witherspoon.  Of 
his  sway  over  his  undergraduates  the  testimony  is  plenti- 
ful. He  had  the  amplest  opportunity  to  exercise  it;  the 
relation  between  him  and  his  pupils  was  one  of  closest 
intimacy. 

]Many  of  his  students  doubtless  would  have  fol- 
lowed the  paths  they  took  during  years  that  were  to 
come  even  had  a  less  compelling  man  than  he  been  head 
of  Princeton  in  their  undergraduate  days;  but  without 
the  spur  of  his  teaching  and  character  many  others 
would  have  lacked  that  intangible  something  which  dif- 
ferentiates distinction  from  mediocrity.  For  instance, 
chance  may  explain  the  fact  that  nine  of  the  twenty- 
five  college  graduates  sent  to  the  Federal  Convention 
were  Princctonians,  but  chance  does  not  explain  the 
further  fact  that  five  ^  of  these  nine  were  graduated 
under  Witherspoon.  Of  the  four  hundred  and  sixty- 
nine  men  who  received  their  diplomas  at  his  hands, 
nearly  twenty-five  per  cent,  entered  the  ministry;  two- 
thirds  of  these  were  graduated  before  1776,  when  there 
were  still  eighteen  years  of  Witherspoon 's  administra- 
tion to  run ;  and  yet  it  was  his  boast,  as  he  looked  over 
the  attendance  of  delegates  at  the  first  two  or  three  Gen- 
eral  Assemblies   of   the   Presbyterian    Church,    that    a 


'  Pierpont  Edwards  (1768),  James  Madison  (1771),  Gunning 
Bedford  (1771),  Jonathan  Dayton  (1776),  William  R.  Davie 
(1776). 


eei  ^H 

— j^^^w^-'ir-.  '— '■"  ■'- 

^iH 

W 

;'^^H 

'f 

^M 

/'^H 

•I 

-,/ 


96 


THE  REVOLUTIONARY  PERIOD 


majority  of  the  members  were  not  only  Princetonians, 
but  hail  studied  their  theology  under  him.  They  too 
had  eaught  some  of  the  spirit  of  leadership  that  made 
him  great. 

Dr.  Witherspoon  sent  his  full  quota  of  ministers  into 
the  American  church,  but  he  did  more.  He  gave  the 
College  national  prominence.  Among  his  graduates 
were  a  President  and  a  Vice-President  of  the  United 
States,  nine  cabinet  officers,  twenty-one  United  States 
Senators,  thirty-nine  United  States  Representatives, 
three  Justices  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court, 
twelve  Governors  of  States,  six  members  of  the  Con- 
tinental Congress,  and  thirty-three  Judges.  Of  the  one 
hundred  and  eighty-nine  nen  graduated  in  hi?  first  ten 
classes, — and  alumni  biographical  records  are  very  in- 
complete— at  least  sixty-five  are  positively  known  to 
have  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  twenty  or  more 
being  officers.  These  figures  do  not  include  non-grad- 
uates, like  Benjamin  Hawkins  and  Nathaniel  Macon  of 
the  class  of  1777,  to  name  but  two  of  those  who  achieved 
prominence. 

His  influence  was  even  greater  in  educational  direc- 
tion. Manuscript  copies  of  his  lectures  were  used  in 
more  than  one  new  college,  introduced  by  teachers  who 
first  heard  them  dictated  in  Nassau  Hall  and  discussed 
by  their  author.  How  many  private  tutors  and  modest 
schoolmasters  Princeton  of  that  era  sent  forth  into  the 
South  and  Southwest  we  do  not  know ;  allusions  to  them 
are  frequent  in  contemporary  private  correspondence; 
but  of  the  nineteen  of  "Witherspoon 's  graduates  who 
reached  exceptional  academic  distinction,  thirteen  be- 
came presidents  of  colleges  in  eight  Slates  of  the  Union; 
and,  if  we  may  accept  a  fairly  common  contemporary  im- 
pression, the  fact  that  a  man  had  been  graduated  under 


•-•*^'^"m,7 


mi.. 


^^ 


t^Tyy<c 


TYPICAL  CLASSES 

Witherspoon  was  sufficient  guarantee  of  his  training,  as 
it  was  of  his  political  faith.  Princetonians  of  his  breed- 
ing were  either  founders  or  first  presidents  of  the  follow- 
ing colleges:  in  Virginia,  Ilampden-Sidney  and  Wash- 
ington;  in  Pennsylvania,  Jefferson  and  Washington;  in 
North  Carolina,  Queen's  and  the  University  of  North 
Carolina ;  in  South  Carolina,  Mount  Zion ;  in  Tennessee, 
Washington,  Tusculum,  Greenville,  and  the  University 
of  Nashville ;  in  Kentucky,  Transylvania ;  in  Ohio,  Oliio 
University;  in  New  York,  Union;  and  in  New  Jersey, 
Kutgers  on  its  revival. 

The  class  of  1773  was  typical  of  the  Princeton  classes 
of  the  time.    Thirteen  of  its  twenty-nine  members  be- 
came clergymen,   and  f  Jteen  of  the  twenty-nine  sup- 
plied three  surgeons,  l  c  officers,  and  one  chaplain  in 
the  Revolutionary  War,  three  members  of  the  Conti- 
nental Congress,  two  United  States  Representatives,  one 
United   States  Senator,  one  chief  justice  of  a  State, 
three  State  Governors,  five  college  presidents,  and  two 
moderators  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.    Prominence  was  awaiting  several  of  their  col- 
lege contemporaries.     In  the  class  of  1770  were  Fred- 
erick Frelinghuysen,  colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  Arm.y, 
brigadier  general  in  the  United  States  Army,  member 
of  the  Continental  Congress  and  of  the  New  Jersey  Pro- 
vincial  Congress,    and    United   States   Senator;   Caleb 
Wallace,  the  Kentucky  constitutional  lawyer  and  judge 
of  the  Kentucky  Supreme  Court ;  John  Taylor  and  Mat- 
thias Williamson,  both  officers  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
In  the  class  of  1771  were  Gunning  Bedford,  Jr.,  tha 
Delaware  lawyer  and  member  of  Congress,  11.  II.  Brack- 
enridge,  school-teacher,  chaplain,  author,  and  judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania.    A  classmate  and 
close  friend  was  Philip  Frencau,  the  future  editor  and 


98 


THE  REVOLUTIONARY  PERIOD 


H 


mariner,  the  poet  of  the  Revolution,  who  scribbled  verses 
in   his  navigation  tables,  and   in  his  ephemeral  satires 
and  ballads  sacrificed  a  distinct  lyric  gift  to  the  sterner 
demands  of  the  time.    Dr.  Charles  McKnight,  the  army 
surgeon,  belonged  to  this  class,  as  did  James  IMadison, 
the  quiet  scholar  who  was  destined  to  reach  the  White 
House.    And  here  too  belongs  Samuel  Spring,  a  chaplain 
on  Arnold's  Canadian  expedition,  sharing  the  terrible 
trials  of  that  experience  with  other  Princetonians,  two 
of  whom  were  presidents'  sons,  each  bearing  his  father's 
name— John  Witherspoon,  Jr.,  of  1773.  a  surgeon,  and 
Aaron  Burr,  Jr.,  of  1772,  a  lieutenan'  and  the  future 
Vice  President  of  the  United  States.    The  class  of  1772 
of  twenty-two  members  furnished  six  army  chaplains, 
a  vice  president  of  the  United  States,  and  one  attorney 
general  of  the  United  States.     Twelve  of  the  twenty 
members  of  the  class  of  1774  served  in  the  army,  three 
as  chaplains  and  the  others  as  officers;  one  oecame  a 
justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  three  became  United 
States  senators  and  congressmen.    The  class  of  1775  of 
twenty-seven   members   produced  a  Ignited   States  At- 
torney General,  two  members  of  Congress,  two  chief 
justices  and   three   justices   of  State   supreme   courts; 
and  among  its  chief  distinctions  were  its  two  college 
presidents,  Thomas  Brown  Craighead,  who  founded  the 
University  of  Nashville,  and  Samuel  Doak.  the  frontier 
missionary  and  scholar  who  packed  the  books  for  the 
library  of  Washington  College  in  Tennessee  five  hun- 
dred miles  over  the  mountains  on  an  old  "  flea  bitten 
grey  horse,"  while  he  trudged  behind.    The  log  meeting- 
house he  had  built  was  the  first  church  erected  in  Ten- 
nessee, and  his  log-cabin  school  had  become  Washington 
College,  the  first  institution  of  the  kind  west  of  the 
Alleffhenies. 


,  A 


A--. 


AFTER  THE  REVOLUTION 


99 


After  the  Revolution  few  military  names  occur  in  the 
catalogue  of  eighteenth-century  Princeton  alumni,  but 
there  are  still  a  number  of  distinguished  public  serv- 
ants, such  as  James  Ashton  Bayard  (1784),  the  United 
States  Senator  and  diplomat;  Peter  Robert  Livingston 
(1784),  the  New  York  legislator  and  lieutenant  gov- 
ernor; Robert  Goodloe  Harper  (1785),  the  soldier,  and 
Senator  Smith  Thompson  (1788),  Chief  Justice  of  the 
New  York  Supreme  Court,  Secretary  of  the  Xavy  and 
for  twenty  years  a  Justice  of  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court,  and  college  presidents  like  Robert  Finley  (1787), 
president  of  the  University  of  Georgia,  and  his  class- 
mate E.  D.  Rattoone.  president  of  Charleston  College. 
Through  graduates  like  these  Dr.  Witherspoon  lifted  the 
College  of  New  Jersey  into  a  position  of  honorable  pub- 
licity it  li  '  never  before  occupied.  The  prestige  it  thus 
acquired  was  to  endure  for  a  generation  after  his  death, 
and  was  to  wane  only  under  the  less  favoring  spirit  of 
succeeding  administrations. 


% 


1$ 


IV 


PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

President  Smith.  Introduction  of  Scienrc.  Fire  of  1802.  The 
Trustees  and  Discipline.  Riot  of  1807.  Founding  of  the  Prince- 
ton Theological  Seminary.  President  (Jreen.  The  Cracker  Era. 
The  "  Great  Rebellion."  President  Carnahiin.  Lafayette'8  Visit. 
>ia9sau  Hall  Pliilological  Som  ty.  The  Lowest  Ebb.  John  Mac- 
lean and  Enlargement  of  the  Faculty.  Aaron  Burr's  Funeral. 
The  Rape  of  tlie  Cannon.  The  Law  Scliool.  The  Centennial. 
President  Maclean.  Fire  of  1855.  The  Secret  Society  Crusade. 
The  Civil  War. 

It  was  a  foregone  conclusion  that  Vice-President 
Smith,  Dr.  Witherspoon's  son-in-law,  would  be  his  suc- 
cessor, and  he  was  elected  president  in  May,  1795.  Grad- 
uated in  1769  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  had  become  in 
1775  the  first  president  of  Ilampden-Sidney  College, 
and  four  years  later  had  joined  the  faculty  at  Prince- 
ton. During  the  years  of  President  Witherspoon's  con- 
gressional service  the  general  management  of  the  col- 
lege had  been  left  in  his  care,  and  after  1786.  when  he 
was  made  vice  president,  the  details  of  administration 
had  been  laid  entirely  upon  his  shoulders. 

A  completer  contrast  to  Dr.  Witherspoon  could 
pcarcely  be  imagined.  He  was  one  of  those  men  who 
seem  born  to  wear  academic  purple.  Tall  and  slender, 
he  added  to  natural  dignity  and  to  elegance  of  manner 
a  winning  personality,  the  attraction  of  good  looks,  and 
the  gift  of  a  splendid  voice.  He  was  famed  for  his 
ornate  eloquence,  his  preaching  being  frankly  imitative 
of  the  French  school  of  pulpit  orators. 

Without  being  trained  in  science  he  seems  to  have 
felt  tlie  lure  of  seientifie  studies,  and  the  introduction 

100 


<M.mk. 


31^1 


«^!3K  Js.  M  i^ufl^ 


INTRODUCTION  OF  SCIENCE  101 

of  a  purely  scientific  element  into  the  curriculum  was  to 
be  the  most  prominent  feature  of  his  athninistration. 
At  commencement  in  1795  a  small  fund  collected  at  his 
request  for  the  purchase  of  chemical  apparatus  was  re- 
ported, and  this,  the  earliest  appropriation  at  Princeton 
for  the  teaching  of  chemistry,  was  immediately  followed 
by  the  election  of  a  professor  of  chemistry,  the  first  to 
be  appointed  in  America  for  undergraduate  instruction. 
The  newcomer  was  a  young  and  lately  landed  Scots- 
man named  John   Maclean,   a  doctor  of  medicine  of 
Aberdeen,  who  had  been  attracted  to  chemistry  in  un- 
dergraduate days  at  Glasgow,  and  who  had  pursued  his 
studies  at  these  two  Scottish  universities  and  later  at 
London  and  Paris.    On  coming  to  America  he  had  been 
advised  to  settle  as  a  medical  practitioner  at  Princeton, 
and  during  the  summer  term  of  1795  had  been  given  the 
opportunity  to  deliver  before  the  college  a  brief  course 
of  lectures  on  his  favorite  subject.     So  fully  did  he 
justify  the  high  recommendations  he  brought  with  him, 
that  President  Smith  eagerly  invited  him  to  join  the 
faculty,  of  which  he  speedily  became  the  most  popular 
member.      In    the    following   year   a    professorship   of 
natural  1  .story,  this  chair,  too,  the  first  of  its  kind  in 
the  countiy,  was  created  and  was  given  to  Professor 
Maclean,  who  was  commonly  said  to  be  equally  at  home 
in  all  the  then  known  branches  of  science.* 

This  quick  strengthening  of  the  curriculum  in  science 
was  a  progressive  step  which  President  Smith  and  the 
board  of  his  day  felt  they  owed  to  the  trust  they  held,— 
a  trust  of  which  they  expressed  their  conception  at  this 
time  in  no  doubtful  terms.  A  strongly  representative 
committee,  on  which  both  the  governor  of  the  State  and 

'It  was  Professor  Maclean  whom  Silliman  acknowledgpd  as  his 
canieol   U'aeiiLT  of  cliiinistry. 


»'• 


:!l 


ri 


'  II 


ii? 


I 


t     : 


^w^^**** 


102      PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

Dr.  Smith  served,  had  been  appointed  in  January,  179G, 
to  approach  the  legislature  with  a  view  to  obtaining 
financial  assistance  for  completion  of  repairs  on  Nassau 
Hall.  A  petition  was  presented,  and  an  annual  grant 
of  £600  for  three  years  was  secured,  the  only  State  aid 
Princeton  has  ever  received.  Designed  primarily  as  an 
argument  for  enlisting  the  interest  of  the  legislature, 
the  petition,  which  was  written  by  President  Smith, 
nevertheless  was  a  declaration  of  the  manifest  destiny 
of  the  College  not  only  in  the  commonwealth  of  New 
Jersey,  but  in  the  country  at  large.  Dr.  Witherspoon 
had  bequeathed  to  the  College  an  academic  standing, 
a  national  reputation,  and  a  potentiality  believed  to  be 
second  to  none  in  the  land;  and  the  petitioners  plainly 
announced  their  intention  to  retain  this  position  of 
eminence.  Furthermore,  they  implied  that  the  College 
of  New  Jersey,  no  longer  a  private  or  a  local  affair  but 
deservedly  now  an  object  of  national  pride,  was  likewise 
the  bearer  of  increased  responsibility.  The  trustees  were 
thus  guardians  of  a  public  trust;  and  only  by  establish- 
ing the  College  on  a  generous  and  enlarged  foundation, 
so  as  to  maintain  an  adequate  number  of  professors  in 
the  liberal  arts,  broaden  the  scope  of  the  curriculum,  and 
widen  the  interests  to  be  enlisted  on  the  institution's 
behalf,  could  they  expect  to  make  it  "  continue  to  be," 
as  they  said,  "  the  principal  resort  of  An'erican  j'outh 
from  the  Hudson  to  Georgia." 

The  committee's  report  announcing  the  grant  accord- 
ingly informs  the  board  that  assurance  has  been  given 
to  the  legislature  that  "  the  reason  which  had  originally 
placed  the  institution  under  the  enti'*e  direction  of  one 
denomination  of  Christians  had  ceased  with  V^e  Revolu- 
tion ;  and  that  the  present  Board  of  Trustees  had  de- 
termined hereafter  to  act  upon  all  proper  occasions  and 


K^~ 


PRESIDENT  SMITH'S  AMBITION  103 

particularly  in  the  choice  of  trustees  on  a  plan  of  most 
extended  liberality."     The  committee  pointed  out  that 
It  felt  responsible  to  the  State  for  the  fulfillment  of  this 
assurance.     It  declared  that  no  further  aid  from  the 
State  need  be  expected  unless  this  pledge  were  lived  up 
to;  while  greater  catholicity  in  election  of  trustees  would 
legitimately  lead  to  additional  and  much  needed  bene- 
factions.    The  first  clause  of  this  statement  is  in  the 
nature  of  a  corollary  to  the  committee's  high  view  of  the 
position  of  the  College  as  having  now  outgrown  denom- 
inational   and    sectional    swaddling   clothes.     Governor 
Belcher  had  tried  to  express  this  larger  aim  in  forming 
his  first  board  of  trustees ;  he  had  as  clearly  intended 
the  College  to  rise  above  denominationalism  and  section- 
alism as  the  founders  had  wished  it  to  be  free  of  synodi- 
cal  restraint ;  and  in  the  hope  that  it  might  develop  into 
just  what  President  Smith's  committee  claimed  that  it 
had  developed,  the  wise  old  governor,  following  Ham- 
ilton's lead,  had  drawn  his  charter  on  the  broadest  lines 
he  could  devise,— lines  which  the  lapse  of  more  than  a 
century  and  a  half  has  not  found  necessary  to  alter  in 
any  material  feature. 

Whether  In:'  ixi-mbers  of  the  com.mittee  over-estimated 
the  importa.iee  jf  the  College  or  not  is  of  little  con- 
sequence; but  it  should  be  remembered  that  they  had 
statistics  which  are  no  longer  available  and  that  theirs 
could  scarcely  have  been  rn  idle  boast.  It  is  to  their 
<  redit  to  have  so  clearly  conceived  and  so  boldly  stated 
their  high  purpose;  and  that  the  trustees  as  a  body 
shared  their  position  is  fairly  to  be  inferred  from  the 
fact  that  the  grant  was  accepted  on  its  terms,  and  that 
no  dissent  f.om  the  pledged  future  policy  was  expressed. 
An  for  the  proclaimed  liberality  of  that  new  policy  sub- 
s.'iUent  clccliuns  to  the  board  do  not  show  its  adoption. 


ii  i 


ill 


4 


104     PIUXCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

The  grant  of  tlie  legislature  is  said  to  have  been  just 
as  unpopular  in  the  State  as  a  proposed  grant  under 
Witherspoon  had  been;  and,  subsefiuontly,  on  the  pass- 
ing of  Dr.  Smith  and  the  far-visioned  men  who  signed 
with  him  the  report  of  179G,  the  eleetion  of  Dr.  Ashbel 
Green  to  the  presideney,  and  the  controlling  influence 
of  the  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  over  the  affairs 
of  the  College,  all  advocacy  of  sucli  a  catholic  policy  was 
for  the  time  being  stifled,  and  the  College  of  New  Jersey 
despite  its  unsectarian  charter  was  to  grow  more  than 
ever  denominational.  It  had  yet  to  pass  through  what 
has  b^'en  called  its  "  theological  "  period. 

The  introduction  of  science  into  the  curriculum 
brought  its  prompt  reward.  Students  began  to  come  to 
Princeton  chiefly  to  read  with  Professor  Maclean,  who 
was  lecturing  on  chemistry  and  natural  history  and  had 
a  room  in  Nassau  Hall  fitted  up  as  a  laboratory.  Pro- 
vision was  made  for  .such  students  by  arranging  a  special 
course,  on  the  completion  of  which  they  received  a  cer- 
tificate but  no  degree.  The  certificate  stated  that  the 
holder  had  satisfactorily  pursued  courses  in  logic, 
geography,  matbematics  (theoretical  and  practical), 
natural  and  moral  philosophy,  astronomy,  chemistry, 
and  belles  lettres,  and  had  sustained  a  public  examina- 
tion with  approval.  This  provision  for  special  students 
in  science  remained  on  the  statute  books  for  a  decade 
and  was  then  abruptly  repealed.  It  was  the  earliest 
Princeton  attempt  at  a  scientific  course  and  is  historically 
intcesting  because  its  requirement  of  a  leaven  of 
liumanistic  studies  in  a  course  otherwise  devoted  to 
science  has  remained  a  cardinal  principle  in  the  Prince- 
ton theory  of  university  education. 

In  1796  there  were  between  eighty  and  ninety  students 
in  x'C'Sidence,  and  the  eullew  resources  amounted  to  some 


SCIENTIFIC  EQUIPMENT  105 

$25,000,  only  $8,000,  howovcr,  being  available  for  Rcneral 
purposes,  the  rest  having  been  bequeathed  for  the  educa- 
tion of  candidates  for  the  ministry.    Dut  a  fair  share  of 
the  fund  granted  by  the  State  was  used  for  scientific 
equipment,  chieMy  in  physics  and  astronomy,  and  by  the 
spring  of  1800  as  much  as  i;5;}5  had  been  spent  in  that 
manner.     The  purchase  list  of  over  sixty  articles  is  too 
long  to  quote  in  full,  but  some  of  the  items  arc  curious 
enough  to   be  mentioned.     Hesides  apparatus  such  as 
a  three-foot  telescope,  a  nine-inch  convex  mirror,  and  a 
similar  concave  mirror,  a  four-inch  theodolite,  a  four- 
foot    reflecting   telescope   and   a   "  mahogany   case    of 
chemical  tests,"  there  was  a  "  magnctical  apparatus," 
a  large-sized  "  magic  Lanthorn  "  with  ten  single  and  ten 
double  slides,  "  one  best  finished  middle  size  air  pump 
and  one  large  receiver  with  glasses,"  a  "  two  fall  guinea 
and  feather  apparatus  with  long  glass  receiver,"  a  "  tor- 
recellian  experiment,"  two  pounds  of  quicksilver,  a  "  hy- 
drostatical  apparatus  for  illustrating  the  chief  principles 
of  hydrostatics  "  and  a  "  compound  solar,  opaque  and 
transparent  microscopical  apparatus  of  the  eorapletest 
kind." 

Over  £900  had  been  spent  on  repairs  to  Nassau  Hall 
by  April,  1801,  and  there  remained  in  the  hands  of  the 
treasurer  for  the  restoration  of  the  library  and  for  fu- 
ture improvement  some  £3G0:  But  whatever  expecta- 
tions President  Smith  may  have  had  of  a  new  era  of 
prowth  and  expansion,  they  received  in  March,  1802,  a 
licart-brcaking  set-back  when  Nassau  Hall  was  destroyed 
by  fire.  The  edifice  appears  to  have  been  a  fire-trap ;  it 
was  consumed  in  an  afternoon,  only  its  blackened  walls 
being  left  standing.  Preliminary  investigation  reported 
that  the  fire  was  of  incendiary  origin,  that  onlv  one 
hundred  volumes  of  the  three  thousand  in  the  li'braiy 


KHi      PRINCETON  DKFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

had  been  rescued,  but  that  the  newly  acciuind  scientific 
apparatus  had  been  saved.  In  the  ensuing?  careful  in- 
cjuiry  it  was  implied  that  students  bad  wilfully  set  the 
buildiuj?  on  fire,  and,  although  there  was  no  direct 
evidence  against  them,  five  or  six  were  dismissed  as 
being  "  unwholesomely  connected  "  with  the  catastrophe. 
College  exercises  were  resumed  a  month  later,  the 
stuilents  being  lodged  in  private  houses,  and  recitations 
being  held  in  the  president's  house,  in  Professor  Mae- 
lean's  house  and  in  the  steward's  (luarters.  Steps  were 
taken  to  rebuild  Nassau  Hall  at  once.  An  address  was 
prepared  by  the  Reverend  Dr.  Ashbel  Green,  a  member 
of  the  board  of  trustees,  and  signed  by  the  governor  of 
the  State,  calling  on  the  public  the  country  over  for 
financial  aid,  a  special  appeal  being  made  to  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  And  early  in 
1803  Nassau  Hall  was  ready  once  more  for  occu- 
pancy. 

In  the  first  moment  of  excitement  President  Smith 
had  declared  the  fire  to  be  the  result  of  vice  and  ir- 
religion.  He  must  have  regretted  his  rash  language, 
for  the  board  took  him  at  his  word  and  proceeded  to 
tighten  discipline.  The  two  lower  classes  were  ordered  to 
study  together  henceforth  under  the  eye  of  a  tutor ;  each 
undergraduate  was  to  be  compelled  to  sign  a  promise  to 
conduct  himself  according  to  the  laws  of  the  College, 
and  more  especially  to  pledge  that  he  would  not  at  any 
time  without  leave,  for  the  purpose  of  eating  or  drink- 
ing, enter  a  tavern  "  or  any  other  house  or  place  where 
liquor,  pastry  or  groceries  of  any  kind  "  were  sold,  nor 
introduce  into  his  room  "  any  such  articles  nor  receive 
or  entertain  there  any  party  for  eating  or  drinking," 
nor  countenance  any  combination  against  college  au- 
thurily,  uoi'  "  game  or  sta'Ke  money  on  any  game,"  nor 


"^-— 


■mMmm.:.h^Ll>k.-^.A.^  ^ 


NEW  LAWS 


107 


keep  or  use  fironrms  of  uny  kind  "in  or  near  the  pre- 
tiiicts  of  the  eolli'gt'." 

In  a  cirpular  lottcr  of  somewhat  earli«?r  date  Dr.  Smith 
had  sought  the  co-operation  of  parents  and  guardians 
in  restricting  p,)ci<ot  mont-y  and  eutting  off  unnecessary 
I'linds.  "  My  anxiety  for  the  improvement  of  the  youth," 
said  he,  "  and  my  wish  to  gcjvcrn  the  colh'ge  with  as 
little  rigor  as  possible,  are  my  motives  for  thus  solici- 
tously endeavoring  to  obtain  the  co-operation  of  parents 
with  our  efforts  for  the  prosperity  of  this  increasing 
and  useful  seminary."    And  it  was  in  consideration  of 
the  legitimate  desires  of  his  undergraduates  that  an  in- 
teresting resolution  was  adopted  in  November,  1803,  by 
the   faculty.     Being  now   forbidden   by   the   board   of 
trustees  to  allow  students  to  visit  "  the  cake  &  beer 
houses   in   town,  &   thinking  it   a  hardship   upon   the 
students  to  be   altogether   prohibited   from  the   use   of 
fruits  of  different  kinds,"  the  faculty  in  this  resolution 
appointed  a  committee  "  to  contrive  some  plan  by  which 
the  evils  arising  from  a  frequent  Intercourse  with  the 
al)ove    mentioned   houses    may    be    avoided   &   yet    all 
proper  privileges  be  retained."    The  minutes,  however, 
do  not  show  that  this  conuiiittee  ever  reported.    Cn  the 
contrary,  an  edict  emanating  from  the  board  was  to  be 
issued  that  henceforth  no  student  would  be  admitted  to 
eollege  unless  his  parent  or  guardian  agreed  to  support 
a  sumptuary  law,  by  restricting  at  the  source  the  funds 
placed  at  the  student's  disposal.     The  total  necessary 
annual  expense  including  room  rent,  board,  tuition,  fuel, 
li^'ht,  washing,  books,  etc.,  was  estimated  in  this  circular 
nt  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  dollars. 

The  spirit  of  these  regulations  indicates  the  attitude 
now  to  be  adopted  toward  the  undergraduates  by  the 
-"-uthoritics.    The  liberal  managcmeut  of  Witherspoon  s 


:ii 


Hi 


i. 

1  in 

hH 

''  ai 

:l     ifll 

\         ', 

Jtll^^W 

U 

i^^^H 

|( 

108     PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 


'i' 


1 


day  \va.s  vanisliin<?.  When  the  sinniiier  terra  of  3802 
opened  Dr.  Green,  who  seems  to  have  been  the  dis- 
ciplinarian of  the  board,  addressed  the  assembled 
students  and  faculty  on  the  new  laws,  his  harangue 
marking  the  beginning  of  an  era  of  primary-school  dis- 
cipline in  the  institution.  He  informed  his  audience 
that  the  rules  had  been  revised,  amended,  and  added  to, 
and  had  been  placed  in  the  hands  of  everyone  and  that 
presently  each  student  would  be  called  upon  to  pledge 
his  honor  to  obey  them  upon  pain  of  dismissal;  nothing 
was  to  alter  the  resolution  of  the  trustees;  they  would 
rather  -Hsmiss  the  whole  undergraduate  body  than  suffer 
tl  •  I'^ast  infringement  on,  or  contempt  of,  their  author- 
it  r  .wing  to  the  prevalence  of  loose  sentiments  in 
vaiio.is  parts  of  the  country  in  regard  to  morals  and  re- 
ligion, coupled  with  neglect  of  family  discipline  and  in- 
struction, many  of  the  young  men  sent  to  Princeton  in 
recent  years  had  been  corrupt  from  the  beginning,  and 
had  made  government  difficult;  the  authorities  now  in- 
tended ' '  to  purge  the  College  of  the  dross  it  contained. ' ' 
Finally,  said  he,  parents  "  have  transferred  to  us  the 
whole  of  their  prerogatives  ";  and,  as  the  College  was 
the  home  of  Christian  religion,  all  infidel  and  irreligious 
books  vvere  hereby  absolutely  prohibited.  The  students 
w^ere  then  ordered  to  fall  in  and  sign  the  new  set  of 
laws.  It  is  not  recorded  that  any  refused.  This  done, 
Dr.  Green  reminded  the  members  of  the  faculty  that, 
as  the  students  had  now  been  told  that  the  laws  must 
be  obeyed,  so  they,  the  faculty,  must  enforce  them.  Not 
content  with  the  revisions  announced  in  IMay,  Dr.  Green 
reported  still  further  regulations  in  September.  As 
President  IMaclean  remarks,  the  trustees  had  at  this  time 
*'  a  wonderful  passion  for  revising  the  laws." 

Happily  this  was  not  all  that  engaged  their  attention. 


NEW  BUILDINGS 


109 


A  professorship  in  ancient  languages  having  been  created 
in  1802,  and  Professor  William  Thompson  being  called 
from  Dickinson  to  the  new  chair,  President  Smith  was 
sent  out  10  collect  money  for  it,  and  to  Dr.  Green  was 
given  supervision  of  the  College  in  the  president's  ab- 
sence.   Money  was  gathered  in  driblets  all  o    r  the  coun- 
try, but  especially  in  the  South,  whent(>  so  largt-  :■  pro- 
portion of  students  came.     Increased   -(t-jming  accrm- 
modations  in  Nassau  Hall  proving  nect  sary  '  space  oc- 
cupied by  recitation  rooms,  library,  and  laboratories  was 
appropriated,  and  for  these  two  new  buildings  were 
erected  in  1803-04.    One  of  them  was  planned  to  con- 
tain recitation  rooms,  and  an  apartment  for  the  "  re- 
ception and  handsome  exhibition  of  the  library."    This 
building,  then  known  as  the  "  Library,"  is  at  present 
occupied  by  the  University  Offices.    The  other  building, 
an  exact  duplicate  of  its  survivor  and  placed  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  campus,  contained  in  the  basement  the 
college  kitchen  and  refectory,  with  apartments  for  the 
steward,  and  on  its  upper  floors  recitation  rooms  and 
laboratories  for  the  mathematical  and  scientific  depart- 
ments, and  a  makeshift  observatory.    Known  at  first  as 
the  "  Refectory,"  it  was  subsequently  called  the  "  Phil- 
osophical Hall,"  and  thirty  years  later  was  to  be  the 
scene  o^.  Professor  Joseph  Henry's  work  at  Princeton. 
It  was  removed  in  1873  to  make  room  for  the  Chancellor 
Green  Library.- 

•  There  were  in  1804  one  hundred  and  iifty-three  students  in 
resKlpnce,  which  number  had  inerea<jed  by  1806  to  two  hundred 

»  Commons  at  Princeton  was  as  old  an  institution  as  mornine 
prayers.  Placed  at  first  in  Nassau  Hall,  the  college  kiichen 
anil  then  the  diniig-room  were  soon  removed  into  a  separate 
building,  where  quarters  were  provided  for  the  steward.  The 
building  of  the  "  Refectory "  superseded  this  arrangement.  In 
1«30  an  arrangement  was  made  to  supply  board  at  cheaper  rate 
for  those  who  desired  it,  and  the  catalogue  announced  that  the 


'f 


.'/ 


no     PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

President  Smith  was  away  from  September,  1802,  to 
April,  1803.  A  year  later  the  total  subscriptions  had 
reached  the  respectable  sum  of  $42,000,  most  of  which 
came  from  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  South, 
but  all  of  which  save  $2,600  had  already  been  spent. 

Having  added  a  professor  of  ancient  languages  to  the 
faculty,  the  board  next  decided  to  add  a  professor  of 
theology  and  thus  relieve  the  president,  whose  health 
was  poor.  Dr.  Ashbel  Green  declined  the  chair,  and 
the  Reverend  Henry  Kollock,  of  the  class  of  1794,  was 
appointed  to  it.  He  resigned  in  1806  just  as  he  was 
beginning  to  form  the  reputation  he  later  enjoyed  as  one 
of  the  most  brilliant  and  polished  orators  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  He  had  been  President  Smith's  favorite 
pupil  and  had  shaped  his  style  largely  after  the  pattern 
of  his  preceptor.^ 

A  r  port  to  the  board  by  the  president  at  this  time 
(1804)    shows  that  the  members  of  the  faculty  thor- 

stcward  was  setting  two  tables.  In  1834,  the  number  who  pre- 
ferred to  pay  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  a  week  rather  than  the 
regular  two  dollars  had  grown  so  large  that  an  additional  stew- 
ard's house  and  refectory,  promptly  dubbed  the  "  Po*  House,"  waa 
erected.  Alterations  on  the  old  refectory  were  liien  begun  by 
which  student  rooms  on  the  top  floor  were  turned  into  a  labora- 
tory and  lecture  room  for  Professor  Henry,  while  the  mineralogical 
and  chemical  laboratories  and  museums  were  housed  on  the 
lower  floors.  Beginning  with  184G  students  were  allowed  to 
board  out  of  College  under  certain  restrictions  and  the  main- 
tenance of  the  refectory  became  increasingly  diflicult.  The  last 
steward  resigned  under  a  cloud  in  1854,  and  the  fire  of  1855  com- 
pleted the  dissolution  of  college  commons.  In  1891,  at  the  height 
of  the  old  eating-dub  system,  an  attempt  was  made  to  reorgan- 
ize commons,  but  the  effort  proved  a  financial  failure.  In  1906  the 
I'nivcrsity  authorities  took  the  problem  up  and  freshman  com- 
mons was  instituted,  being  followed  in  1908  by  sophomore 
commons.  All  luiderclassnien  have  since  then  been  required  to 
board  at  the  commons. 

'  Of  Professor  Kcliock.  Dr.  Carnahan  quotes  Bishop  Hobart, 
who  was  in  College  with  him.  as  saying  that  "  although  he  was 
both  a  Democrat  and  a  Calvinist,  he  was  the  most  intelligent, 
gentlemanly,  and  agreeable  companion  that  he  had  ever  found." 


DUTIES  OF  FACULTY 


111 


oughly  earned  their  salaries.  Space  would  be  lacking 
to  tell  all  that  the  president  was  called  upon  to  do.  His 
salary  was  $1,600  with  a  house,  r  w  that  of  the  dean  of 
the  faculty.  He  taught  the  ui>perclassmen  in  belles 
lettres,  criticism  and  composition,  in  moral  philosophy, 
which  included  metaphysics,  natural  theology,  civil  gov- 
ernment and  the  "  Law  of  Nature  and  Nations."  He 
also  taught  logic,  geography,  history,  and  the  evidences 
of  religion.  He  presided  at  evening  prayers  and  at  the 
oratorical  exercises  which  followed;  once  a  week  he  met 
the  Theological  Society,  composed  of  candidates  for  the 
ministry ;  in  his  regular  turn  he  sat  at  the  high  table  in 
the  Refectory;  ho  was  the  college  disciplinary  officer, 
counseling,  censuring,  and  banishing  students,  and  he 
attended  to  all  the  college  correspondence,  receiving 
and  answering  seldom  less  than  six  hundred  letters  a 
y.'ar. 

The  professor  of  mathematics  and  natural  philosophy, 
John  Maclean,  received  $800  and  the  use  of  a  house,  and 
taught  geometry,  trigonometry,  surveying,  conic  sec- 
tions, algebra,  natural- and  experimental  philosophy,  as- 
tronomy and  chemistry  and  "  such  parts  of  Natural 
History  as  are  immediately  connected  with  this  science." 
Each  lecture  in  natural  philosophy  required  from  one 
to  three  hours  of  preliminary  work  in  preparing  ap- 
paratus and  experiments.  His  work  was  more  than 
doubled  just  then  because  he  had  to  divide  the  junior 
class  into  two  sections  owing  to  its  size;  moreover,  a 
separate  class  had  been  formed  of  those  who  were  back- 
ward in  studies  or  who  had  been  late  in  returning  to 
college.    He  had  the  services  of  an  assistant. 

For  the  sum  of  $800  and  a  house,  the  professor  of 
theology,  Henry  KoUock,  preached  on  Sundays  and 
lectured  to  the  junior  class  on  Sunday  afternoons,  had 


% 


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I    - 


112     PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WxVR 


[^ 


/ 


full  charge  of  tiuological  students, 


attended 
assumed 


all  meet- 


ings of  the  Th(  ological  Society,  i 
of  college  proctorial  duties. 

The  professor  of  languages,  William  Thompson,  for 
the  same  salary  as  Kollock,  spent  six  hours  a  day  in  the 
classroom,,  and  five  evenings  a  week  he  was  on  duty  in 
Nassau  Hall  until  curfew.  He  was  in  special  charge  of 
the  freshman  and  sophomore  classes. 

The  tutors,  w  ho  received  $280  and  a  room  in  Nassau 
Hall,  besides  hearing  freshman  and  sophomore  recita- 
tions and  sharing  with  the  professor  of  languages  the 
supervision  of  study  hours,  instructed  underclassmen  on 
Sundays  in  Bible  and  catechism,  attended  prayers  every 
morning  and  made  the  rounds  of  the  building  jvery 
evening  after  eight.  The  greater  part  of  one  day  a  week 
was  spent  hearing  excuses  for  absences  from  chapel;  but, 
concludes  the  report,  "  their  weightiest  and  most  irk- 
some duty  is  preserving  order  and  decorum  in  the  col- 
lege building."  President  Smith  never  uttered  a  more 
solemn  truth.  Tutors  were  the  Ishmaels  of  college  so- 
ciety. Some  idea  of  the  ills  that  they  were  heir  to  may 
be  found  in  a  passage  of  one  of  Dr.  James  W.  Alex- 
ander's "  Familiar  Letters  "  written  at  a  little  later 
period  as  he  was  entering  on  a  tutorship  at  Princeton. 
"  You  may  expect  to  hear  of  cracker-firing,  of  scraping, 
of  funking,  of  door-bolting,  of  ducking,  of  rope-tripping, 
of  window-breaking.-  of  all  the  petty  vengeance  which 
unruly  striplings  wreak  on  their  hapless  instructors." 

"  The  course  consistid  of  divinity,  ecclesiastical  history,  church 
government,  Christian  and  Jewish  antiquities  and  pastoral  the- 
ology. Hebrew  was  taught  to  those  who  desired  it.  At  each 
recitation  one  or  more  original  essays  were  read  by  students 
and  were  criticised  by  the  professor.  Theological  tuition  was 
free,  and  board  at  the  refectory  cost  these  men  but  a  dollar  a  week. 

'  Tutors'  windows  were  constantly  being  broken.  According  to 
a  campus  saying,  a  tutor's  salary  was  $200  "  and  coal  thrown  in." 


A  TUTOR'S  LIFE 


113 


And  again:  "  It  reqv-es  all  the  effrontery  which  I  can 
•is^.mie  to  fill  my  gown  with  any  kind  of  effect,  to  sit 
the  focal  point  of  vision  before  a  hundred  carping 
.voung  gentlemen,  on  the  scaffold  yclep'd  the  stage,  to 
march  through  the  congregation  at  the  foot  of  the  Re- 
fectory  steps  with  manifold  tokens  of  respect,  and  then 
to  march  at  their  head,  and  sit  in  state  at  the  upper  end 
of  the  long  college  table."    Besides  recitations  for  six 
and  a  half  hours  a  day,  "  with  us  tutors  is  left  all 
the  discretionary  power  of  preserving  order.     No  one 
can  change  his  room  without  our  permission,  or  go  to 
the  tavern,  or  leave  bounds  in  study  hours,  or  leave  the 
Refectory,  or  have  a  meal  sent  out  to  him,  or  take  his 
seat  after  grace,  or  get  a  letter  on  Sunday,  &c.,  &e., 
unless  we  give  him  leave.     Besides  going  through  the 
College  thrice  a  day  on  a  round  of  inspection,  it  is  our 
rule  to  send  for  every  student  who  fails  to  come  volun- 
tarily and  render  an  account  of  his  absence  from  his 
chamber.    This  week  it  becomes  my  duty  to  preside  in 
the  Refectory,  to  conduct  morning  prayers  in  the  chapel, 
and  two  prayer  meetings  connected  with  the  college,  as 
well  as  to  have  more  minute  supervision  of  the  students, 
and  to  take  care  that  the  edifice  is  never  for  any  time  left 
without  one  officer."    A  tutor's  life  was  not  one  whit 
less  exacting  in  1804.  the  time  of  which  we  are  speaking. 
In  view  of  the  growth  of  the  classes  it  was  decided 
to  separate  mathematics  and  astronomy  from  the  chair 
of  natural  philosophy  and  chemistry,  and  the  Reverend 
Andrew  Hunter,  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  1772,  and  a 
trustee,  was  elected  to  the  new  chair.    Room  was  also 
gained  in  Nassau  Hall  for  undergraduates  by  removing, 
the  theological  students  into  an  adjacent  house,  which 
was  forthwith  known  as  "  Divinity  Hall,"  Princeton's 
first  Graduate  College. 


M 


fil 


[ 


1 


/ 


3U     PRIXCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

That  autumn  the  president  was  aWe  to  report  that 
Nassau  Hall  had  been  ropaired  and  improved,  that  two 
new  buildings  had  been  erected,  that  tliree  new  pro- 
fessorships had  been  created,  and  that  the  number  of 
students  (153)  was  greater  than  ever  before.  Tiio 
faculty  now  consisted  of  the  president,  four  professors, 
two  tutors,  and  an  instructor  in  French.  The  library 
contained  four  thousand  volumes  and  a  method  had 
been  devised  for  adding  to  it  annually.' 

The  president  asked,  however,  that  authors  would 
present  copies  of  new  works,  and  that  inventors  of  use- 
ful macliines  would  give  models  to  the  College ;  and  he 
added  that  specimens  illustrating^  natural  history  and 
"  all  Specimens  of  Elegant  Execution  in  the  Fine  Arts  " 
would  be  gratefully  received. 

The  impetus  Dr.  Smith  had  already  given  to  scientific 
studies  at  Princeton  was  furthered  the  next  year  by  the 
pureho-e  of  a  cabinet  of  natural  history  specimens,  said 
to  be  the  first  owned  by  an  American  college.  It  was 
bought  for  three  thousand  dollars  by  the  president  and 
his  colleagues  of  the  faculty  at  a  sale  in  New  York  in 
the  hope  that  the  board  of  trustees  would  reimburse 
them.  Mr.  Elias  Boudinot  generously  came  forward  with 
a  gift  of  land  to  meet  the  expense.  The  next  year  it 
was  proposed  that  the  entrance  requirements  in  the 
languages  bo  raised  so  that  the  students'  time  in  col- 
lege might  thus  be  relea.sed  from  language  studies  for 
more  work  in  the  .sciences.  That  this  activity  in  scientific 
teaching  would  bo  viewed  with  misgiving  in  certain 
quarters  was  to  be  expected,  and  President  Smith  was 

'The  librarian  was  making  a  catalogue  and  until  that  was 
ready  students  were  allowed  to  consult  for  two  hours  on  Mondays 
such  lists  as  were  available  and  leave  their  requests  with  the 
librarian.  On  Tuesdays  the  library  was  open  for  one  hour  when 
books  requested  were  distributed. 


iMi.  <  .r. 


RIOT  OP  1807  115 

hooomin-  a  target  for  severe  critieism.     It  was  asserted 
that  the  tendency  of  the  curriculum  was  Ljt  toward  the 
preparation   of  young  men   for  the   ministry,   but  was 
dangerously  rationalistic.     On  the  other  hand,  the  ad- 
ministration had  been  undeniably  satisfactory  in  regard 
to  general  growth.    The  class  graduated  in  1806  was  the 
largest  in  the  history  of  the  College,  containing  fiftv- 
tour    members;    the    total    number    of  undergraduates 
during  the  past  year  had  been  one  iiundred  and  eightv- 
one,  coming  from  fifteen  of  the  sixteen  States  in  the 
Union.    The  faculty,  too,  had  never  been  larger,  and  the 
tota    undergraduate  roll  had  been  close  to  the  two  hun- 
dred mark  for  three  or  four  years  past.    2<e^v  buildings 
and  additional  equipment  had  been  procured,  and  the 
curriculum  was  keeping  abreast  of  the  age.     But  just 
at  this  time,  the  high  water  mark  of  Dr.  Smith's  ad- 
ministration, occurred  an  incident  which  became  the  talk 
of  the  country  and  did  the  college  irretrievable  harm. 
This  was  the  "  Riot  of  1807." 

i«?n'   ^"'u^^'''^   '''*^''^   weatl'ered   a   disturbance   in 
1800  which  had  seemed  to  be  fraught  with  the  most 
serious  possibilities.     Had  discipline  been  administered 
on  a  less  elementary'  plane  he  might  have  averted  the 
tatal  consequences  of  the  riot  of  Marcli,  1807      Three 
popular  students  were  dismissed  for  insulting  a  college 
officer.     A  committee  of  students  then  demanded  a  re- 
opening of  the  case,  and  the  retraction  of  certain  un- 
eomphmentary  comments  made  by  the  faculty  in  issuin- 
the  verdict.     Refusing  these  demands  President  Smith 
addressed  the  College  in  the  prayer-hall.     Durin-  his 
remarks  there  were  manifold  signs  of  disapproval,'' and 
when  he  proposed  to  call  the  roll  and  let  each  man  choose 
whether  he  would  or  would  not  yield  to  college  authority 
a  body  of  students  leaped  to  their  feet  and  rushed  yelling 


116     PKINX'ETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

out  of  the  buiklinf?.  To  cut  short  tho  story  of  the  in- 
vestigation which  ensued,  as  a  result  the  faculty  dis- 
missed or  suspended  on.'  hundred  and  twenty-five  of 
the  two  hundred  in  college.  Fifty-seven  eventually 
returned  and  finished  their  course.  Of  the  others,  some 
were  well  got  rid  of;  *  hut  some  were  men  whom  Prince- 
ton is  sorry  to  have  lost,"  as  they  were  among  the  best 
men  in  college.  It  was  a  ca,se  of  mob  impulse  on  the 
one  hand  and  of  bungling  management  on  the  other,  al- 
though the  Reverend  Dr.  Samuel  Miller,  who  in  a  few 
months  was  to  become  a  trustee,  wondcn'ed  if  the  rebellion 
were  not  possibly  a  visitation  from  Providence,  and 
whether  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church  were  about  to 
"  purge  and  elevate  the  college  or  totally  destroy  it." 
The  board  indorsed  the  action  of  the  faculty,  and  found 
in  the  affair  additional  support  for  its  attitude  toward 
the  administration  of  discipline.  Already  it  had  been 
treating  the  College  likt-  a  village  school ;  now  it  seemed 
to  consider  the  faculty  a  group  of  fledgling  ushers.  For 
example,  when  a  committee  of  the  board  came  to  examine 
the  faculty's  minutes  it  sternly  reported  that  the  pages 
of  the  minute  book  were  not  numbered,  that  in  one 
place  a  date  was  wanting,  that  there  were  instances  of 
grammatical  construction  which  it  thought  incorrect, 
that  the  phrase  "  examination  sustained  "  was  used  in- 
stead of  a  better,  that  here  and  there  the  language  of 
the  minutes  was  quite  unintelligible  to  those  not  familiar 
with  its  occult  vocabulary,  citing  as  an  example  the 
phrase  "  a  student  being  conditioned  in  arithmetic." 

^  'See  William  and  Mary  Quarterly,  Vol.  VIII,  p.  222,  and  V'ol. 
XVI.  p.  120,  for  the  further  aeudemi"  adventures  of  one  of  the 
group. 

•  An  example  is  Abel  P.  Upshur,  Hccretary  of  the  navy  under 
President  Tyler.  He  was  to  lose  his  life  in  an  explosion  on  the 
ill-fated  gunboat  "  Princeton  "  in  February,  1847. 


COLLEGE  EXPENSES  m 

Worse  than  all  this,  however,  it  was  Ifarnod  that  one 
tutor  had  been  away  on  a  trip,  that  another  had  enter- 
tained friend-s  in  his  room,  that  the  sophomores  had 
'  cut  and  mangled  in  a  disgraceful  manner  "  the  desks 
and  benches  in  their  reeitation  room ;  all  of  which  showed 
"  a  great  want  of  proper  dij«3ipline."  Dr.  Maclean  at 
this  point  reminds  readers  of  his  "  History  "  that  there 
we.e  unfortunately  no  railroads  in  those  days  to  take 
trustees  home,  when  once  they  got  to  Princeton. 

Conditions  in   College  led  to  a  re-enaetment  of  the 
sumptuary  law  of  1802,  the  trustees  "  having  seen  with 
pain  the  evils  .  .  .  which  have  frequently  arisen  from 
young  men  possessing,  in  too  great  abundance,  the  means 
of  dissipation."    A  new  letter  was  issued  to  parents  and 
guardians  stating  that  the  earlier  law  had  been  observed 
fairly  well  at  first,  but  "  parental  indulgence  and  the 
want  of  a  proper  person  on  the  spot  to  take  charge  of 
the  money  of  the  students  "  had  led  to  a  relaxation  of 
the  rule.     The  trustees  had  learned  with  concern  that 
students  were   inducing  their  parents   to  make   "  un- 
necessary and  improper  remittances  "  by  claiming  that 
the  style  of  living  in  College  was  such  as  to  "  require 
a  groat  expense  in  order  to  put  a  young  man  on  an 
honorable  footing  with  his  companions."    This  the  trus- 
tees declared  was  not  true  of  the  Co^l'^ge  in  general. 
And  they  proceeded  to  state  the  neees.sary  and  proper 
expenses.     Each  student  on  entering  paid  a  matricula- 
tion fee  of  five  dollars,  and  provided  his  own  bed  or 
mattress  and  a  few  other  pieces  of  fu-niturc,  costing 
in  all  not  more  than  twenty  to  thirty  dollars.     Most 
of  the  furniture  he  could  sell  when  he  left.    If  he  spent 
his  vacations  at  Princeton— four  weeks  in  the  spring 
and  six  in  the  autumn— his  board  and  washing  would 
;  ust  four  or  live  dollars  a  week.    If  he  spent  his  vaca- 


t 


I 


I 


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1 
1. 


118     PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

tions  "  in  the  country  "— i.r.,  outside  of  I'rincetou— 
the  weokly  cost  would  Ix-  tlirco  or  lour  dollars.  The 
actual  expenses  for  the  college  year  were: 


SUMMER   SF:SSI0N 

Board.    20    weeks    (<( 

$2.25     $45.00 

Tuition,    rent,    use   of 

library     2:iMVt 

Wages  of  waiters.  .  .  .       2.50 

Washing  (a   X\v 0.00 

Candles,     10     lbs.     @ 


2.50 


IneiJentals     (cleaning 

and  damages)    ...       150 

~$81JCVa 


WINTER    SESSION 
Board.  22  weeks $49.50 

Tuition,  etc 23.60«/a 

Wages      ^-50 

Wasliing      33 

Candles,   20    lbs 5.00 

Ineidentals    1-50 

Wood    17.00 


$10tt.49Va 

makins  a  total  annual  cost  of  $188.26.  Books,  station- 
ery, iind  clothes  were  not  estimated,  and  in  the  matter 
of  clothes,  remarked  the  circular,  some  efToctual  check 
should  be  imposed  on  extravagance,  "  as  many  young 
persons  have  been  known  improperly  to  part  with  clothes 
before  they  have  been  sufficiently  worn." 

Parents  were  earnestly  assured  that  greatly  to  exceed 
the  estimate  named  above  would  be  hazarding  "  both 
the  virtue  and  the  scholarship  of  their  sons."  The  board 
of  trustees  had,  therefore,  created  a  new  officer  to  be 
called  the-  "  Bursar,"  who  was  to  be  the  guardian  of 
funds  of  all  students  whose  parents  would  assign  him 
that  task,  and  he  would  disburse  such  funds  only  in 
amounts  and  at  times  agreed  upon.  But  whether  par- 
ents availed  themselves  of  the  services  of  the  Bursar 
or  not,  no  student  would  be  admitted  hereafter  unless 
his  parent  or  guardian  signed  an  agreement  not  to  fur- 
nish him  with  funds  above  the  amount  stipulated  and 
not  to  pay  any  debts  incurred  by  his  son  or  ward.  For 
his  services  the  Bursar  proposed  to  deduct  one  and  a 
liail  per  cent,  on  ail  inuneys  deposited  w-ith  him. 


NEW  POLICY 


119 


Further,  it  \va>i  resolved  not  to  iilhnv  iiion?  thiui  two 
students  to  room  in  tlje  same  apartment  in  eollege,  so 
that  not  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  would  ever 
In'  in  residence  at  one  time.  "  Those  therefore,"  con- 
tinued the  letter,  "  who  may  wish  to  enter  after  that 
number  is  completed,  will  probably  be  obliged  to  wait 
at  the  neiglilwring  schools  or  academies  till  a  vacancy  is 
oix-ned  by  the  removal  of  some  of  the  actual  residents," 
Xo  waiting  list  has  yet  been  discovered,  nor  is  it  likely 
that  the  rolls  of  nei{,'hboring  schools  and  academies  were 
noticeably  increased  by  impatient  prospective  Prince- 
tonians. 

A  note  states  that  $250  to  $280  over  and  above  the 
necessary  expenses  would  be  ample  for  all  other  ex- 
penses, "  notwithstanding  the  increased  prices  of  many 
articles  within  the  last  four  years  ";  and  $150  would  suf- 
fice for  those  who  lived  economically,  while  less  would  be 
needed  by  those  whose  clothing  was  furnished  from  home. 

If  attention  to  science  had  hitherto  been  the  distin- 
guishing feature  of  Dr.  Smith's  administration,  the  lead- 
ing feature  was  now  to  be  the  growing  interference  of 
the  board  with  the  internal  government  of  the  College. 
President  Smith  in  his  later  years  probably  was  less 
than  ever  a  stern  disciplinarian.  The  spirit  of  the 
age  may  have  been  a  difficult  one  to  control— a  general 
comment ;  but  the  policy  of  the  board  as  exemplified  by 
Dr.  Green,  President  Smith's  successor,  did  not  prove 
any  more  successful  in  allaying  undergraduate  irrita- 
tion, or  in  checking  undergraduate  disorder. 

Dr.  Miller,  viewing  the  College  solely  from  one  angle, 
expected  already  that  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  would  organize  a  theological  school  of 
its  own,  unless  the  College  w^ere  put  on  a  better  footing, 
ilo  Il-U  tliui  the  Assembly  should  either  establish  a  new 


«  : 


IJO     i»Kl.\CHTUN   JiHFORH  TIIK  CIVIL  WAR 

Kcliool  or  ^'iw  mort'  attention  toward  rxtciiiliiiK'  the  plau 
jiiui  iiicn  iisiii^?  the  oiuTtry  of  tli'-  tlit'(»loKical  tlrpartment 
in  the  Colk-jit- ;  Imt  of  thi'  wisdom  of  tlu-  I'lttrr  altcrmi- 
tive   lit'  had  itnwv   doubt.     His  k'ttirs  show  that   for 
more  than  two  years  past  he  had  been  distrustful  of 
the   "  Prineeton    establishment."      Dr.    Green    doubted 
whether  they  should  "  wait  for  a  favorable  change  "  in 
the  College;  he  was  not  sure  that  the  proposed  seminary 
ought  to  l)e  at  I'rineeton  at  all,  with  which  uncertainty 
Dr.  Miller  sympathized,  as  it  did  not  seem  that  "  in  the 
present  state  of  the  College  "  a  divinity  school  with  ever 
so  able  a  head  could  command  <'on(idence  ami  patron- 
age.   He  feared  also  that  the  students  of  the  Seminary, 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  "  would  not  be 
the  better  for  habitual  intercourse  with  the  students  in 
the  arts  ";  there  might  be  danger  of  clashing  between 
the  two  faculties,  and  rivalry  between  the  head  of  the 
theological  faculty  and  the  president  of  the  College;  it 
would  be  impossible  to  have  a  large  divinity  school  under 
the  care  of  the  present  board  of  trustees;  in  short,  if 
it  was  desirable  to  keep  the  Seminary  "  uncontaminated 
by  the  College,  to  have  its  government  unfettered,  and 
its  orthodoxy  and  purity  "  perpetuated,  a  separate  es- 
tablishment would  be  advisable.     Dr.  Green  even  sug- 
gested  a   separate   preparatory   school    for  prospective 
theological  students,  but  Dr.  Miller  pointed  out  at  once 
that  the  College  would  take  offense  at  any  effort  to  form 
a  rival  institution. 

[Meanwhile,  the  trustees  in  pursuance  of  their  policy 
of  personal  control  were  visiting  every  department  of 
the  College.  They  found  the  refectory  clean,  and  the 
provision  of  the  best,  "  with  plenty  of  vegetables."  A 
recent  substitution  of  molasses  beer  for  cider  was  deemed 
a  good  change.    They  heard  the  law.s  read  to  the  students 


SHRINK  AG  K 


121 


in  fhapcl  for  the  third  tinio  that  torrn ;  thoy  rogn-ttPil 
that  th..  law  r..(|uirinj,'  the  wearing'  of  j,'own.s  was  not 
<.hsorv<l  properly,  ,,,,(1  they  remarked  that  the  mcmhers 
<'f  the  far-ulfy  should  set  l)etter  exaiiM)le  of  ohedieiiee  to 
the  law  in  (juestiop.  It  was  resolved  that  a  eominittee 
ho  appointe.l  at  <a<'h  inoetinK  to  inquire  into  the  state 
of  the  Colle}?o  ,,,,(1  its  diseipline  and  into  the  manner  in 
wlueh  eaeh  me,„ber  of  the  faeulty  was  attending  to  his 
duties. 

In  the  spring  of  isns  Professors  Hunter  and  Thomp- 
son both  resigned,  the  one  to  take  eharge  of  a  sehool 
nt  Bordent.nvn,  and  the  other  on  account  of  ill  health, 
leaving   I'resident   Smith   and    Professor   Maclean    with 
three  tutors  constituting  the  faculty.     The  number  of 
student.s  was  one  hundred  and  nine.     A  ycitr  later  the 
committee  of  investigation  reported  that  the  discipline 
-■ind  order  had  b.^en  good,  what  little  .lisorder  had  oc- 
curred being  due  to  the  president's  poor  health  and  to 
the  fact  that  on  the  regular  monthly  holiday  the  .stu- 
dents had  been  allowed  to  go  sleighing  and  had  visited 
unrestrained,    a    neighboring    and    exhilarating    town' 
Hereafter  they  were  to  be  held  within  college  bounds. 
The  faeulty  was,  moreover,  ordered  to  keep  an  absence 
book,  in  which  absences  from  recitation  and  the  reasons 
thereof  were  to  be  recorded  for  the  inspection  of  the 
trustees.      .Aleanwbile,    the    undergraduate    body    was 
shrinking,  there  being  in  18CS-09  one  hundred  and  three 
students  in  first  term  and  only  ninety-one   in  second 
form.     Disorders  in  College  were  ascribed  as  u.sual  to 
lack  of  di.scipline,  whereupon  the  three  tutors  resigned, 
and  the  board  appointed  a  fresh  committee  to  take  the 
whole  situation  nf  affairs  into  consideration  and  report 
The  result  was  that,   in  an  endeavor  to  kill  two  birds 
with  one  ston.',  the  board  ordered  eoiiection^  to  be  taken 


il 


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J 


122     PRINCETON  BEFdKE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

to  support  an  extra  offici  r  of  discipline  to  assist  the 
president  and  to  net  as  vice-president,  coupling  with 
this  administrative  task  the  professorship  of  theology, 
vacated  by  Kollock. 

By  this  time  the  plans  of  the  General  Assembly  for 
founding  a  theological  seminary  were  assuming  definite 
shape  and  in  September,  1810,  a  committee  of  the  board 
was  appointed  to  confer  on  the  matter  with  a  commit- 
tee of  the  Assembly  and  to  report.     Negotiations  pro- 
ceeded, with  Drs.  Green  and  ^liller  leading  the  move- 
ment for  the  seminary's  establishment  at  Princeton,  and 
finally  a  culmination  was  reached  in  June,  1811,  in  the 
signing  of  an  astounding  agreement  between  the  two 
parties.     The  conspicuous  absence  of  President  Smith's 
name  from  the  trustees'  committee  is  suggestive.     The 
summarized  terms  of  the  agreement  were  these:   The 
Assembly  was  to  be  free  to  erect  on  college  grounds 
such  buildings  as  it  might  judge  proper,  and  in  the 
meantime  the  College  was  to  give  the  Seminary  every 
accommodation  in  its  buildings,  and  as  long  after  the 
erection  of  Seminary  buildings,  as  the  Seminary  might 
desire;  the  College  was  to  receive  all  students  sent  to 
it  by  the  Assembly,  subject  to  entrance  requirements  and 
college  discipline,  and  under  board  and  tuition  fees  and 
room  rent,  with  the  understanding,  however,  that  the 
said  fees  were  to  be  reduced  as  the  number  of  students 
and  the  funds  of  the  College  increased;  the  trustees 
were  to  receive  and  hold  at  interest  any  funds  the  As- 
sembly might  place  in  their  hands,  investing  the  same 
under  direction  of  the  Assembly  and  paying  over  princi- 
pal and  interest  whenever  the  Assembly  should  direct; 
the  Seminary  was  to  have  free  use  of  the  College  library, 
and  the  College  was  to  assist  in  every  way  possible,  if 
the  Assembly  saw  fit  to  establish  side  by  side  with  the 


^M&t^^W^- 


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r-*I^ 


.•::wi?.,-?^ 


DOMINANCE  OF  THE  SEMINARY         123 

College  a  special  preparatory  institution  for  theological 
students;  the  Assembly  was  free  to  remove  the  Semi- 
nary from  Princeton  at  any  time  if  it  concluded  that 
the   connection  between   the   two  institutions   did   not 
"  conduce   sufficiently   to   the  great  purposes  eontem- 
plfted  "  by  the  founding  of  the  Seminary;  the  trustees 
engaged  that  as  long  as   the    Seminary   remained   at 
Princeton  no  professorship  of  theology  would  be  main- 
tained in  the  College;  and  finally,  as  for  the  $1,800 
which  the  College  received  annually  as  income  from 
its  charitable  funds  for  the  education  of  candidates  for 
the  ministry,  the  trustees  agreed  to  "  pay  a  high  re- 
gard "  to  the  reeonmiendations  of  the  Assembly  as  to 
the  beneficiaries.    It  should  be  said  that  the  Seminary 
never  took  full  advantage  of  the  extraordinary  eonces- 
sions  made  to  it  under  the  instrument  above  described. 
Side  by  side,  College  and  Seminary  have  developed,  each 
in  its  own  way,  and  in  recent  years  at  least  each  untram- 
meled  by  the  other's  presence.     But  for  over  half  a 
century,  after  1812,  the  influence  of  the  Seminary  was 
to  dominate  the  councils  of  the  College,  and  not  until 
Dr.  McCo?h's  time  did  the  latter  recover  its  freedom. 
This  dominaney  may  be  appreciated  from  the  fact  that, 
between  Dr.  Green's  accession  to  the  presidency  in  1812 
and  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Maclean  in  1868,  thirty-six 
of  the  sixty-four  trustees  elected  to  the  board  were 
either  directors,  trustees,  or  professors  of  the  Seminary. 
Dr.  Carnahan  himself  was  a  trustee  of  the  Seminary 
from  1826  to  his  death,  in  1859,  and  from  1810  to 
1843  a  vice-president,  and  from  1843  until  his  death 
president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Seminary.    And 
Mhen  it  is  remembered  that  a  by-law  was  passed  by  the 
trustees  of  the  College  requiring  that  at  least  twelve 
of  the  twenty-seven  members  of  the  board  should  be 


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124     PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

clergymen,  and  that  another  by-law  required  that  at 
least  two  members  of  each  stai.Jing  committee  of  the 
board  should  be  clergymen,  it  can  be  readily  seen  that 
the  clerical  control   was   assured. 

The  immediate  result  of  the  agreement  of  1811  was 
that  it  became  next  to  impossible  for  some  years  to 
obtain  funds  for  the  College,  the  new  enterprise  attract- 
ing most  of  the  donations.    Dr.  Green 's  diary  during  his 
presidency  contains  frequent  mention  of  gifts  to  the 
Seminary,  but  rarely,  if  ever,  of  a  gift  to  the  College 
of  Avhich  he  was  head.     Five  years  before  this  date 
President  Smith  had  memorialized  the  General  Assem- 
bly on  the  opportunity  the  College  offered  for  realizing 
the  desire  for  a  better  theological  school.    His  appeal 
had  been  ignored  and  Professor  Kollock,  in  1808,  had 
given  up  his  chair  because  he  had  so  few  pupils.    Dr. 
Green  and  Dr.  Miller,  both  severely  critical  of  President 
Smith's  administration,  were  devoting  their  influence  to 
the  establishment  of  a  separate  institution  and,  there- 
fore, to  that  degree  were  hindering  the  development  of 
the  theological  department  of  the  College.     President 
Smith,  now  an  old  man  and  racked  by  ill  health,  felt 
himself  unable  to  cope  with  them;  he  was  aware  of 
their  dissatisfaction  with  him,  and  he  knew  that  the 
control  of  the  situation  had  slipped  through  his  fingers ; 
intimation   reached  him  of  contemplated   far-reaching 
reorganization  of  the  government  and  instruction  of  the 
College.     The   establishment   of   the    Seminary   under 
an  agreement  carrying  concessions  which  would  prac- 
tically subordinate  the  College  to  it   could  not  have 
won  his  approval.     He  had  been  trained  to  a  broader 
conception,  a  conception  to  which  the  best  features  of 
his  administration  had  borne  ample  witness.     He  felt 
his  inability  to  restore  confidence  in  the  College  which 


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RESIGNATION  OF  PRESIDENT  SMITH    125 


in  one  capacity  or  another  he  had  now  served  for  over 
thirty  years ;  and  in  the  summer  of  1811  accordingly  he 
resigned  the  presidency.  An  annuity  and  a  house  were 
voted  him  by  the  board;  his  library  was  purchased  for 
the  College;  and  the  board  presented  to  him  its  thanks 
for  his  services;  but  these  things  could  not  have  taken 
away  the  bitterness  of  disappointment  that  must  have 
lurked  in  his  leave-taking. 

There  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  in  the  minds 
of  those  who  disapproved  of  Dr.  Smith  his  chief  fault 
lay  in  his  being  broader  than  his  times.  While  it  is 
improbable  that  any  recollection  had  been  retained  of 
his  early  venture  from  a  philosophical  straight  and 
narrow  path  into  the  pleasant  fields  of  Berkleyanism  un- 
der the  influence  of  Joseph  Periam,  a  college  tutor  in 
his  undergraduate  days,-  nevertheless  plenty  of  Pres- 
byterian observers  must  have  looked  askance  at  the  free- 
dom of  opinion  that  he  not  only  a" owed  but  encouraged 
among  his  pupils.  That  he  had  been  no  prig  even  in 
his  tutor  days  seems  the  only  conclusion  one  may  fairly 
draw  from  William  Paterson's  satirizing  lines  in  his 
"  Belle  of  Princeton,"  a  poem  read  in  1772  or  1773 
before  the  Cliosophie  Society .'^  That  his  theology  in 
later  years  was  unsatisfactory  to  Dr.  Green  (and  there- 
fore undoubtedly  to  others)  seerus  to  have  been  the  chief 
reason  why  the  latter  discarded  his  lectures  on  the  evi- 
dences of  religion  and  on  moral  philosophy  and  returned 
to  Dr.  Withcrspoon's  mere  outlines— the  lectures  "  were 
not  exactly  conformed  to  his  [Green's]  notions  on  the 
subject  of  divine  grace,"  wrote  Dr.  Smith  to  Bishop 
Hobart '  in  1817. 

•  The  story  is  conveniently  summarized  in  Riley,  "  American 
Philosophy,"  p.  497. 

nv.  J.  Mills,  "Glimpses  of  Colonial  Society,"  p.  121. 
•.McVickar,  "  Professional  Years  of  J.  H.  Hobart,"  p.  420.    Dr. 


'  I  ^' 


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126     PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 


His  "  Essay  on  the  Causes  of  the  Variety  of  Com- 
plexion and  Color  in  the  Human  Species  "  was  consid- 
ered remarkable  in  early  nineteenth-century  scientific 
circles,  although,  of  course,  it  has  but  slight  value  now, 
save  as  an  early  contribution  to  American  anthropology 
and  as  affording  a  glimpse  of  the  use  of  the  principles  of 
evolution  fully  two  generations  before  Princeton  was 
ready  to  consider  them ; »  but,  even  though  Dr.  Smith 
asserted  that   the  purpose  of  his  essay  was  to  bring 
science  in  "  to  tuufirm  the  verity  of  the  Mosaic  history," 
it  is  questionable  whether  this  use  of  science  was  alto- 
gether  pleasing  to  his  critics;   it  was  too   much   like 
playing  with  fire.    There  was  needed  the  coming  of  men 
like   Joseph   Henry,   Stephen   Alexander,   and   Arnold 
Guyot  to  show  the  controlling  spirits  at  Princeton  that 
study  of  the  sciences  did  not  necessarily  undermine  reli- 
gious belief.     Before  that  day  dawned,  however,  the 
innovation    that    Dr.    Smith    introduced    in    teaching 
physical   and   natural   sciences  in  college   created  un- 
mistakable concern.     The  prominence  he  had  given  to 
such  subjects  in  his  curriculum  was  certainly  in  the 
mind  of  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  for  example,  when 
he  sounded  his  note  of  warning  to  the  General  Assembly 
of  1808  in  declaring  that  "  the  great  extension  of  the 
physical  sciences,  and  the  taste  and  fashion  of  the  age, 
have  given  such  a  shape  and  direction  to  the  academical 
course  that  I  confess  it  appears  to  me  to  be  little  adapted 
to    introduce    youth    to    the    study    of    the    Sacred 
Scripture."^    It  is  little  to  be  wondered  at,  therefore, 

Smith  was  a  man  of  warm  personal  sympathies  who  retained  his 
interest  in  his  former  pupils;  his  correspondence  with  Hobart  and 
a  long  letter  to  James  MafMson  on  his  election  to  the  Presidency 
of  the  I'nited  States  are  examples  of  the  paternal  attitude  be 
pre9Pr\'ed  toward  those  whom  he  had  once  taught. 

'  Rilev,  "  American  Philosophy,"  p.  506. 

» Quoted  from  Maclean's  "  History,"  Vol.  IT,  p-  131. 


l'\''^ 


PRESIDENT  GREExN 


127 


that  the  theological  department  of  the  College  found  but 
slight  favor  in  the  sight  of  the  strictly  orthodox.  Dr. 
Smith  spent  the  remaining  years  of  his  life  in  Princeton 
and  died  in  August,  1319. 

Dr.  Green's  prominence  in  college  affairs  during  the 
past  decade  and  his  connection  with  the  circumstances 
of  the  founding  of  the  Seminary  pointed  very  natu- 
rally to  him  as  President  Smith's  successor,  and  his 
expressed  astonishment  at  his  election  (August,  1812) 
need  not  be  taken  too  seriously, — it  was  certainly  not 
so  taken  by  the  undergraduates.  Conversely,  his  sur- 
prise on  finding  that  his  congregatl  n  at  Philadelphia 
was  quite  prepared  to  allow  him  to  leave  his  church  was 
undoubtedly  genuine.  In  his  opinion  the  College  was 
"  in  a  most  deplorable  condition, ' '  and  he  entered  upon 
his  presidency  with  a  resolution  '  *  to  reform  it  or  to  fall 
undf^r  the  attempt."  He  was  destined  to  do  neither. 
The  faculty  assembled  before  the  opening  of  the  term 
and  spent  the  day  in  special  prayer;  and  for  his  own 
guidance  as  president  Dr.  Green  wrote  down  some  fifteen 
resolutions,  which  he  kept  to  the  best  of  his  ability. 
His  chief  plan  of  government  was  ' '  to  give  the  students 
more  indulgence  of  a  lawful  kind  "  than  they  had  ever 
had  so  that  he  might  with  more  propriety  "  counteract 
unlawful  practices."  Dr.  Witherspoon 's  remedy  had 
been  to  set  his  students  to  reaping  his  Tusculum  fields. 
Dr.  Green,  on  the  other  hand,  had  invitations  printed 
inviting  his  young  barbarians  to  his  dinner  table  in 
groups  of  eight,*  and  for  some  years  he  kept  up  this 
practice;  but  he  admitted  that  "  it  had  but  little  effect 


'  There  must  have  been  some  virtue  in  that  number.  Soon 
after  he  became  president  he  divided  the  classes  in  the  refectory 
into  "  messes "  of  eight,  each  to  be  responsible  for  the  conduct 
of  its  members. 


'fw^'Kn^mt^ 


11    ■  ! 


i  U 


v,, 


128     PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

in  rocliiiming  the  vicious."  The  "indulgence"  was 
hardly  popular;  better  a  dinner  of  herbs  in  the  refectory 
than  a  stalled  ox  at  the  president's  table.  That  he 
should  have  expected  anything  else  shows  how  little 
fitted  he  was  for  his  task.  He  suffered  from  what  he 
called  "  a  settled  gloom  of  mind  ";  which  really  means 
that  he  utterly  lacked  a  sense  of  humor.  He  never 
received  a  better  piece  of  advice  than  that  given  him 
by  old  Dr.  Stephen  Bloomer  Baleh  of  the  class  of  1774, 
who,  revisiting  Na.ssau  Hall  in  1813  after  forty  years' 
absence  and  becoming  an  instant  favorite  on  the  campus 
by  his  jovial  stories  and  merr-  laughter,  was  warned 
by  Dr.  Green  that  he  would  kssen  his  spiritual  influ- 
ence by  such  loud  "  horse  laughs,"  whereupon  the  good 
man  retorted  that  if  the  president  had  indulged  in  a 
few  himself  he  would  not  be  in  his  present  nervous  and 
irritable  condition.^ 

Dr.  Green  tells  us  in  his  diary  that  his  first  address 
to  the  students  provoked  them  to  tears  and  he  was 
greatly  encouraged,  but  this  appearance  of  docility  was 
"  delusive  or  fugitive  "  and  he  soon  found  the  "  ma- 
jority of  them  bent  on  mischief." 

He  was  blinded  by  prejudice.  Even  President  Mac- 
lean, his  pupil  and  warm  admirer,  is  constrained  in  his 
"  History  "  to  show  by  documentary  evidence  that  Dr. 
Green's  unflattering  opinion  of  the  College  was  grossly 
exaggerated.  lie  began  by  taking  everything  into  his 
own  personal  control;  he  kept  the  minutes  of  the  fac- 
ulty for  the  first  term  of  his  presidency,  although  the 
faculty  had  its  own  elected  clerk ;  he  also  kept  the  min- 
utes of  the  board  of  trustees  for  two  years,  although  the 
board  likewise  had  its  elected  clerk. 

•Thomas  VV.  Balch,  "  Balch  Gencalogica,"  Philadelphia,  1907, 
p.  193. 


PRESIDENT  GREEN'S  POLICY 


129 


The  Reverend  Elijah  Slack,  a  graduate  of  the  class  of 
1808,  was  inducted  to  leave  his  successful  private  school 
at  Trenton  to  become  vice-president  and  professor  of 
mathematics  and  natural  philosophy,  and  Philip  Lindsly 
of  the  class  of  1804,  who  had  formerly  been  a  tutor 
and  had  entered  the  ministry,  was  recalled  to  become 
senior  tutor  and,  in  the  spring,  professor  of  languages.' 
With  a  junior  tutor,  these  gentlemen  formed  Dr.  Green's 
first  faculty.     The  opening  year  of  the  administration 
passed  off  without  serious  disturbance,  although  it  was 
the  president's  private  opinion  that  every  kind  of  devil- 
ment that  could  be  devised  was  tried  on  him,  and  in 
punishment  thereof  seven  or  eight  students  were  dis- 
missed.    The  board's  inspection  committee  made  the 
reassuring  report  that  the  faculty  appeared  "  to  have 
attended  to  the  business  of  the  College  with  a  great 
degree  of  intelligence,"  and  President  Green  must  have 
felt  he  had  already  shown  how  one-half  of  an  academic 
family  should  live.    How  the  other  half  could  be  tamed 
was  still  open  to  question.     Had  the  solution  of  this 
problem  depended  on  mere  activity  in  enforcing  the 
laws  of  the  College,  President  Green  would  have  scored 
a  complete  triumph.     During  that  first  year  of  his 
reign  it  was  never  too  late  (nor  indeed  too  early)  to 
administer  discipline.    On  one  occasion  he  dragged  his 
colleagues  out  of  bed  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning 
to  dismiss  young  Mr.  Richard  Bayard,  who,  by  means  of 

'  Few  educators  of  the  time  could  hav3  received  more  calls 
than  this  man.  Three  times  he  was  elected  to  the  presidency 
of  Transylvania  College,  Kentucky,  and  three  times  to  the  presi- 
dency of  Cumberland  College,  at  Nashville,  (University  of  Nash- 
ville), twice  to  the  presidency  of  the  University  of  Alabama, 
once  each  to  the  presidencies  of  Washington  College  ( Washington 
and  Lee)  Virginia,  Dickinson  College,  Louisiana  College  at  Jack- 
son, and  South  Alabama  College,  and  once  to  the  provostship  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania;  and  he  was  approached  with  a 
view  to  taking  the  presidency  of  the  University  of  Ohio. 


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130     PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

a  rope  Wvd  to  the  clappor  of  tho  College  bell  and  boldly 
carried  through   his   window,  had   been  making  night 
intolerable  by  persistent  tolling  of  the  saered  "  rouser  " 
—as  it  was  called.     If  the  president  derived  any  satis- 
faction from  his  early  efforts  to  subdue  the  unruly,  he 
was  to  be  rudely  disturbed  by  the  session  beginning  the 
following  winter  (November,  1813).    The  hard  times  in 
the  country  had   been  making  themselves  felt  in  the 
refectory,  where  a  beverage  brewed  of  beans  and  rye 
was  being  served  as  coffee  and  was  being  sweetened  with 
molasses  instead  of  sugar.     Some  of  the  ultimate  con- 
sumers fell  sick,  and  after  general  discon^ont,  expressed 
in  noise  and  restlessness  marked  by  tlu   setting  off  of 
preliminary   and   comparatively   harmless  "crackers" 
or  torpedoes,  there  was  discovered  one  Sunday  night 
in  January.  1814,  "  an  extensive,  deep-laid,  and  most 
criminal  conspiracy."    This  time  Dr.  Green's  language 
was  not  exaggerated.     A  giant  torpedo  made  of  a  log 
of  wood  and  containing  over  two  pounds  of  powder  was 
exploded  in  the  main  entrance  to  Nassau  Hall,  cracking 
the  walls  from  top  to  bottom,  blowing  out  the  glass  in 
the  whole  corridor,  and  driving  one  piece  through  the 
door  of  the  prayer-hall.     The  ringleaders  proved  to  be 
two  former  students  living  in  the  village,  and  eleven 
other  students  were  implicated.    The  leaders  were  prose- 
cuted and  fined,  and  three  of  the  others  were  dismissed. 
On  the  arrest  of  the  leaders  there  was  general  insubor- 
dination.   Small  crackers  were  exploded  in  the  building, 
the  direst  threats  were  scrawled  on  the  walls,  and  at 
supper-time  as  the  students  went  along  the  dark  passage 
to  the  refectory  there  was  hissing  and  yelling,  which  only 
the  presence  of  Dr.  Green,  candle  in  hand,  could  quiet. 
The  disorder  spluttered  itself  out  during  the  next  two 
months,  but  crackers  of  various  sizes  were  fired  freely— 


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THE  "  GREAT  REBELLION 


131 


Dr.  Green's  diary  fairly  snaps  with  thoni— and  then  sud- 
denly peace  fell  on  the  campus.  A  year  later  he  re- 
ported to  the  board  that  the  past  twelve  months  had 
been  as  good  as  could  ever  be  expected.  During  the 
last  session,  said  he,  "your  officers  have  indeed  en- 
joyed halcyon  days,"  and  the  boys  in  College  were 
"  decidedly  the  most  amiable  and  exemplary  "  he  had 
ever  seen.  This  state  of  aflairs  was  directly  traceable 
to  a  revival  of  religion,  during  which,  it  may  be  no- 
ticed,  two  future  bishops  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  Charles  Pettit  Mcllvaine  of  181G  and  John 
Johns  of  1815,  with  the  future  theologian  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  Charles  Hodge,  of  1815,  turned  their 
thoughts  to  religion. 

But  the  inevitable  reaction  followed  and  the  term 
that  opened  in  November,  1816,  proved  to  be  the  most 
turbulent  in  the  history  of  the  College.  In  January, 
1817,  the  climax  was  reached  in  the  famous  "  Great 
Rebellion,"  when,  in  the  words  of  one  reporter,  Satan 
fell  like  lightning  from  heaven,  all  College  exercises  were 
suspended  for  several  days,  and  half  the  country  was 
given  a  new  topic  of  discussion.  The  tutors  were  im- 
prisoned in  their  rooms;  the  doors  of  Nassau  Hall  were 
barred  and  nailed  iin;  a  bonfire  was  made  of  the  col- 
lege outbuildings ;  the  bell  was  rung  continuously ;  win- 
dows were  smashed  in  the  upper  floors,  and  billets  of 
firewood  fell  from  all  directions  on  the  heads  of  officers 
who  tried  to  break  their  way  in.  Nassau  Hall  was  in 
a  state  of  siege.  The  town  marshal,  failing  to  afford 
the  assistance  sought  of  him  and  the  citizens  offering 
none,  the  faculty  retreated  in  disorder,  leaving  the 
building  in  the  hands  of  the  insurgents.  The  furniture 
in  the  prayer-hall  was  demolished,  pistols  were  fired, 
and  dirks  brandished  in  the  windows;  and  the  rioters 


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132     IMUNCKTON  BEFORE  TIIK  CIVIL  WAR 

added  insult  to  injury  by  parading  up  and  down  in 
front  of  Nassau  Hall.  Whon  tonns  wort*  finally  roadied, 
tlio  fury  of  the  mob  having  spont  itself,  some  twenty- 
four  were  expelled  and  in  thi'  next  month  things  quieted 
down,  although  it  was  the  naive  opinion  of  the  faculty 
that  there  were  still  in  College  a  number  of  students 
'•  who  cherished  an  insubordinate  spirit  in  secret." 
Things  went  but  little  better  for  a  year  or  two  longer, 
and  ex-Presidcnt  Smith,  living  in  peaceful  retirement, 
thought  back  to  the  pleasanter  days  that  opened  the 
century.  "  I  too  often  sec,"  he  wrote  to  Ilobart,  "  aus- 
terity and  gloom,  and  harsh  suspicion  where  candor, 
taste,  and  benevolent  sentiments  once  prevailed." 

In  conscfiuence  of  this  episode  and  certain  official 
comment  thereon,  Vice-President  Slack  resigned  and 
left  Princeton  for  a  career  of  distinction  elsewhere. 
Against  Dr.  Green's  wishes — he  thought  the  vice-presi- 
dency an  "  utterly  useless  "  office— Professor  Lindsly 
was  then  elected  to  the  post ;  Henry  Vethake  of  Queens 
College  (Rutgers)  was  called  to  the  professorship  of 
natural  philosophy  and  chemistry;  and  the  board  of 
trustees  instituted  one  of  its  customary  investigations 
to  see  how  the  general  situation  could  be  improved. 

Dr.  Ilosack  of  New  York,  one  of  the  few  alumni  who 
remembered  their  Alma  Plater,  meanwhile  had  offered 
to  add  to  the  minoralogical  collection  if  provision  were 
made  for  its  proper  exhibition,  and  this  being  agreed  to 
he  sent  young  John  Torrey  down  to  arrange  the  collec- 
tion. This  was  the  beginning  of  that  distinguished  scien- 
tist's connection  with  Princeton.  Science,  somewhat 
neglected  in  recent  years,  received  belated  recognition 
when  a  chair  of  experimental  philosophy,  chemistry,  and 
natural  history  was  created  in  1818  for  President 
Green's  son,  Mr.  Jacob  Green. 


DISCIPLINE 


133 


The  New  Jci-soy  Medical  Society  the  following  year 
appro;-  hcd  tlic  Fmard  with  tiic  proi^sition  lor  confer- 
ring medical  degrees,  hut  the  hoard  declined  to  allow 
its  diplomas  to  ho  granted  on  examinations  other  than 
its  own,  and  refused  to  grant  medical  degrees  until 
luedical  courses  should  he  instituted  in  the  College. 

Maintenance  of  disi-ipline  had  evidently  hecome  as 
difficult  a  task  for  President  Green  as  for  his  prede- 
cessor. The  chief  source  of  difficulty  lay  in  undergradu- 
ate appetite,  and  a  constant  and  insoluhle  prohlem  was 
how  to  keep  students  from  visiting  the  taverns  and  eat- 
ing houses  of  the  village  for  the  consumption  of  late 
suppers  or  other  reliefs  to  refeetorial  monotony.  Again 
and  again  this  grave  question  occupied  the  earnest 
attention  of  the  trustees,  while  the  faculty  had  it  al- 
ways before  them.  Back  in  1813  no  le.ss  an  authority 
thau  the  lion.  Elia.s  Boudinot,  who  had  been  commis- 
sary of  pri.soners  in  the  Revolution,  had  expressed  the 
opinion  to  Dr.  Green  that  the  attempt  of  the  college 
steward  to  give  general  satisfaction  had  gone  entirely 
too  far;  as  long  as  the  fare  was  plain  and  good,  and 
cleanly  served,  "  delicacies  ought  to  be  avoided."  The 
results  of  the  steward's  efforts  to  serve  simplified  coffee 
and  elementary  sugar  have  been  seen.  Late  in  1815  the 
trustees  heard  the  amazing  news  that  the  fare  in  the 
refectory  was  "  more  luxurious  than  it  ought  to  be," 
and  the  steward  was  promptly  ordered  to  dispense  with 
unnecessary  articles  in  furnishing  the  College  table.*  In 
1819  a  more  stringent  rule  was  adopted  limiting  the 

'  In  the  semi  annual  reports  sent  home  to  parents  on  tlieir  sons' 
Lihavior,  industry,  scliolarship,  and  liealth,  made,  as  the  docu- 
ments said,  "  by  the  Faeuity  with  a  sacred  regard  to  truth  and 
impartiality,"  tho  stated  expenses  at  this  time  (April,  1816) 
"  exclusive  of  books,  clothes,  candles,  and  travellinET  expenses " 
are  listed  as  foliows: 


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134     PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

amount  of  pocket  money  parents  should  allow  tli 
hungry  charges.  But  these  attempts  to  enforce  plain 
living  in  the  hope  to  foster  high  thinking,  however  com- 
mendable in  the  abstract,  were  never  attractive  to  the 
proposed  beneficiaries.  And  so  the  ancient  quarrel 
proceeded. 

Another  source  of  difficulty  in  maintaining  discipline 
had  been  the  crowded  condition  of  Nassau  Hall.  To 
meet  this  the  board's  committee  on  improvement  of 
efficiency  brought  in  a  report  in  November,  1818,  pro- 
posing a  startling  innovation  in  American  college  ad- 
ministration. It  contemplated  the  erection  of  new 
college  buildings,  each  to  be  under  its  own  faculty  as 
soon  as  its  number  of  students  warranted;  in  other 
words,  the  creation  of  separate  colleges  as  in  the  Eng- 
lish universities.  The  plan  was  ordered  printed,  but 
no  copy  of  H  is  known  to  exist  and  its  details  are  not 
of  record.  But  it  was  further  resolved  that  to  en- 
courage donations  toward  this  or  any  similar  project  for 
the  extension  of  the  College,  the  name  of  the  donor 
should  be  given  to  such  building  or  buildings,  or  should 
be  attached  to  any  "  professorship,  lectureship,  fellow- 
ship, scholarship,  exhibition,  or  premium."  The  sum 
necessary  for  a  professorship  was  $25,000,  for  a  fel- 
lowship $5,000,  and  a  scholarship  $2,500.  The  board 
expected  to  raise  in  the  Southern  States  the  money 
needed  for  the  buildings.    The  legislature  of  New  Jer- 


Summer  Session 

Board  20  weeks $  50.00 

Tuition  and  room  rent.  .     28.67 

Washing 6.00 

Servants'    wages    and 

scrubbing  4.00 


Winter  Session 

Board  22  weeks $  55.00 

Tuition  and  room  rent. .  28.67 

Washing 6.U0 

Servants'    wages    and 

scrubbing  4.00 

Wood   20.00 


$  88.67 
A  matriculation  fee  of  $5.00  was  charged. 


$113.67 


FACULTY  CHANGES 


135 


sey  was  appealed  to,  but  mindful  of  the  past  it  declined 
to  help.  Ambitious  as  these  interesting  plans  were, 
they  came  to  naught  for  lack  of  funds. 

When  the  next  winter  term  opened  (November,  1819) 
Dr.  Green  found  his  number  would  be  between  one 
hundred  and  thirty  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  ^— 
"  quite  as  large  as  it  ever  ought  to  be,"  and  he  hoped 
there  would  be  "  much  fewer  rogues  included  "  tlum 
usual.  "  After  long  interval  I  have  had  a  student,  this 
week,  call  to  consult  me  on  the  state  of  his  soul,"  is  a 
comment  in  his  diary  at  this  time. 

The  most  pregnant  event  of  this  period  as  time  proved 
was  the  entrance  on  the  scene,  as  a  tutor  at  the  age  of 
nineteen,  the  man  whose  self-denying  devotion  to  the 
College  was  to  hold  it  together  in  coming  years  of 
bitter  disheartenment— young  John  Maclean,  son  of 
Professor  Maclean  and  a  graduate  in  the  class  of 
1816. 

Complaints  arising  as  to  the  high  cost  of  oollege  liv- 
ing, in  April,  1819,  notice  was  issued  that  the  necessary 
annual  expenses  amounted  to  about  $225,  exclusive  of 
books  and  pocket  money.  These  extras  would  double 
the  sum,  so  that  it  was  officially  pronounced  that  $-150 
would  be  ample  to  cover  all  expenses  and  that  many 
students  lived  on  far  less. 

The  resignation  of  Professor  Vethake  in  the  autumn 
of  1821  under  regrettable  circumstances,  brought  on  by 
strained  relations  between  him  and  the  president,  was 
the  first  of  the  series  of  incidents  that  led  to  the  ter- 
mination of  Dr.  Green's  administration.  For  twenty 
years  the  first  day  of  the  month  had  been  a  college 
holiday.     At  the  September  meeting  of  the  board  in 

'  The  catalogiic  sliow.s  that  there  were  132,  with  a  representation 
of  15  out  of  the  24  St.Htea  in  the  Union. 


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136      PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

1821  it  was  decided  to  abolish  this  breathing  spell,  and 
in  its  place  to  lengthen  the  spring  vacation.  The  fol- 
lowing February  the  undergraduates  petitioned  for  a 
holiday,  and  the  faculty  quoted  the  new  rule.  The 
petitioners  politely  replied  that  they  would  be  obliged 
to  absent  themselves  from  all  recitations  on  the  day 
in  question  if  a  holiday  were  not  granted;  which  they 
did.  There  was  no  disorder,  and  the  faculty  took  a 
lenient  view  of  the  incident.  But  in  March  a  record 
cracker  of  three  or  four  pounds  was  fired,  and  the  perpe- 
trators of  the  outrage  were  detected  and  dismissed. 
The  trustees,  however,  considered  it  time  that  another 
investigation  were  made  as  to  college  discipline  and  con- 
duct, and  as  to  the  effect  on  public  opinion.^  The  re- 
sults were  far-reaching.  It  was  declared  that  the  various 
combinations  of  the  students  against  the  faculty,  the 
holiday  incident  in  February,  and  the  recent  cracker 
affair  had  all  contributed  to  the  loss  of  reputation  which 
the  College  had  suffered.  The  committee  advised  that 
Professor  Vethake's  vacant  chair  and  Professor  Green's 
be  united  in  a  new  chair  to  be  called  that  of  mathe- 
matics and  natural  philosophy;  and  that  in  the  next 
year  an  incumbent  should  be  elected,  this  meaning  of 
course  that  Mr.  Green's  services  would  probably  not  be 
retained.  It  was  also  recommended  that  a  tutor  be 
appointed  to  assist  the  new  professor.  Dr.  Green  ob- 
jected to  this  scheme  on  general  principles  and  not, 
so  he  says,  because  his  son  was  concerned ;  and  at  the 
autumn  meeting  of  the  board  (September,  1822)  he 
handed  in  his  resignation  and  subsequently  declined 
a  re-election  as  a  trustee.  He  lived  to  become,  as  it 
were,    the    patriarch    of    the    American    Presbyterian 


'The  number  of  students  had  dropped  to  115    (catalogue  of 

1821). 


fr^mr:m!.v^mm^'.  ^  a..  ^^ 


1 


PRESIDENT  CARNAIIAN 


137 


Church,  dying  in  1848.  That  the  College  had  suffered 
a  distinct  loss  of  reputation  during  the  last  year  or 
two  was  universal  opinion.  Grimly  in  earnest  though 
he  had  been,  Dr.  Green's  administration  had  not  proved 
to  be  as  happy  as  had  been  expected.  The  College  had 
made  little  or  no  progress  under  him. 

Dr.  John  Holt  Rice  of  Richmond  and  Professor  Philip 
Lindsiy  both  declined  election,  but  in  May,  1823,  the 
Reverend  Dr.  James  Carnahan,  a  graduate  of  the  class 
of  1800,  and  at  this  time  the  headmaster  of  a  successful 
school  at  Georgetown,  D.C.,  was  elected,  and  in  August 
he  was  inaugurated.  During  the  past  eleven  months 
Dr.  Lindsiy  had  been  acting  as  president,  and  with  four 
tutors  constituted  the  faculty,  the  important  chair  of 
mathematics  and  natural  philosophy,  with  chemistry  and 
astronomy  added  for  good  measure,  being  assigned  to 
young  John  Maclean. 

Though  the  trustees  thanked  Professor  Lindsiy  for 
his  conduct  of  affairs,  nevertheless  they  went  on  record 
to  the  effect  that  discipline  had  been  extremely  lax, 
specifying  as  examples  the  habit  students  had  contracted 
of  clustering  around  ttage-coaches  at  tavern  doors,  using 
intoxicating  liquors,  going  to  neighboring  tovms  and 
villages  for  feasting  and  dissipation,  sitting  up  late  in 
their  rooms,  going  on  walks  and  visits  around  the  town, 
and  remaining  out  late  at  night.  Dr.  Maclean  flatly 
denies  the  accuracy  of  this  report  of  conditions;  and 
he  gives  the  impression  that,  while  there  may  have  been 
cases  of  the  above  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors,  per- 
sonal feeling  against  Lindsiy  entertained  by  certain  mem- 
bcrs  of  the  board  had  more  to  do  with  their  unfavorable 
report  than  anything  else.' 
Dr.  Carnahan  would  not  have  accepted  the  presidency 
'  Maclean,  "  History,"  Vol.  II.  p.  235. 


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138     PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

had  he  known  of  the  divided  counsels  of  its  governors. 
He  had  not  kept  in  close  touch  with  the  conditions  at 
Princeton  and  had  accepted  the  election  hastily.  When 
he  found  out  the  real  state  of  affairs,  the  conflict  of 
interests  and  views  that  Dr.  Green  had  left  behind  him 
as  a  heritage,  he  was  for  resigning  at  once.  Professor 
Maclean's  insistence  alone  kept  him  in  Princeton.  His 
first  trial  of  strength  with  the  undergraduate  body  came 
speedily.  First  term  was  scarcely  well  begun  when  there 
occurred  another  "  craeker  "  episode.  An  undergrad- 
uate was  dismissed  without  hearing.  Remonstrance  on 
the  part  of  his  companions  followed,  which  the  faculty 
ignored,  and  in  consequence  a  number  asked  for  hon- 
orable dismissal.  Where  the  request  was  indorsed  by 
parents  or  guardians  it  was  granted,  and  about  a  third 
of  the  students  left  on  their  own  re«^nonsibility,  many 
of  them  later  sciking  readmission.  Naturally  the  ver- 
sion of  this  affair  that  found  its  way  into  the  public 
press  did  not  tend  to  add  to  the  reputation  of  the 
College. 

The  war  clouds  lifted  for  one  brief  day  in  September, 
1824,  to  let  an  echo  of  the  past  enliven  the  campus,  when 
the  Maiquis  of  Lafayette  reached  Princeton  on  his  tri- 
umphal progress  through  the  United  States.  He  received 
an  address  of  welcome  and  congratulation,  attended 
certain  ceremonies  on  the  front  campus  in  a  hastily 
erected  "  Temple  of  Science  "  made  of  pseudo-classic 
wliite  columns,  with  the  Peale  portrait  of  Washington 
as  a  background,  accepted  the  diploma  for  the  honorary 
degree  of  doctor  of  laws  conferred  on  him  in  1790  by 
President  Witherspoon  and  bearing  the  latter 's  signa- 
ture, and  attended  a  formal  breakfast  in  the  refectory, 
which  was  decorated  for  the  occasion  beyond  all  recog- 
nition.   And  then  hostilities  were  resumed.    A  cracker 


tl'^f 


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^■1  V, :. '"^^^A^iMvsv 


PHILOLOGICAL  SOCIETY 


139 


was  fired  against  the  door  of  the  long-suffering  and  ever- 
hated  prayer-hall;  another  was  exploded  at  the  presi- 
dent's front  door.  The  customary  investigations  and 
dismissals  ensued,  with  threats  of  lawsuits  on  both  sides. 
But  with  ti'is  the  era  of  crackers  and  violent  disorders 
came  to  a'    ,nd. 

In  1825  the  board  appointed  to  the  chair  of  languages 
vacated  by  Lindsly,  who  had  suddenly  been  called  to  the 
presidency  of  the  University  of  Nashville,  a  man  whose 
work  during  the  four  years  of  his  stay  was  of  the  high- 
est order,  and  whose  influence  might  have  been  lasting 
could  he  have  been  retained.     Robert  Bridges  Patton 
was  a  graduate  of  Yale  in  the  class  of  1817  and  one  of 
the  pioneer  group  of  Americans  to  seek  the  training  of 
a  German  university.    He  was  the  first  member  of  the 
Princeton  faculty  to  hold  a  German  doctorate,  that  of 
Gottingen.^    He  brouj  it  back  with  him  the  methods  and 
ideals  of  German  scholarship  and  immediately  made  his 
presence  felt  by  forming  the  "  Nassau  Hall  Philological 
Society  "  and  turning  over  to  its  use  his  private  library 
of  fifteen  hundred  volumes.    A  description  of  this  re- 
markable collection  is  to  be  found  in  James  W.  Alex- 
ander's   "  Familiar   Letters."     Its    presence    was    an 
important  acquisition  for  the  College,  for,  although  it 
was  framed  along  the  lines  of  classical  philology,   it 
included    a    fairly   wide   range    of   general    European 
litcrature.2 

The  object  of  the  Philological  Society,  so  we  are 
informed  by  the  catalogue  of  its  library,  was  to  provide 

'  Thirty  years  passed  before  anotlier  German  doctor  of  philos- 
ophy, Arnold  Guyot,  joined  the  faculty.  After  Dr.  Guyot,  the 
next  holder  of  a  German  degree  came  in  Dr.  McCosh's  time. 

^  The  College  library  at  this  time  was  subscribing  to  "  the  four 
prmcipnl  reviews,"  says  Dr.  Alexander  in  his  "  Familiar  Letters," 
and  several  scientific  periodicals,  while  no  leas  than  thirty  journals 
of  different  kinds  were  being  taken  by  the  mcrobfr?  of  the  faculty. 


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140     PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

a  reference  collection  in  classical  literature,  to  encour- 
age more  extensive  and  critical  reading  of  the  classics 
than  was  usual  in  American  colleges,  to  afford  assist- 
ance in  studying  modem  languages,  to  enable  the  prose- 
cution of  graduate  study  in  philological  and  literary 
subjects,  to  procure  the  incunabula  of  classical  literature, 
to  carrj'  on  meetings  for  discussion,  criticism,  lectures, 
translation,  illustration,  and  any  other  exercises  to  give 
interest  to  the  meetings  and  keep  alive  a  "  tone  of  lit- 
erary excitement  "  among  its  members.    One  of  the  first 
results  of  Professor  Patton's  presence  was  the  prepara- 
tion, by  the  senior  class,  of  an  edition  of  the  "  Seven 
Against  Thebes,"   which   was   published   by   the   local 
printer.     But  Professor  Patton  had   fallen  upon   soil 
unable   to   support   him   and  he   resigned   in   1829   to 
take  charge  of  "  Edgehill,"  a  well-known  preparatory 
school   at   Princeton.    He   took   with   him   his   library 
and    the    Philological    Society    came    to    an    untimely 

end. 

Professor  Maclean  had  meanwhile  become  responsible 
for  the  beginnings  of  a  movement  looking  toward  the 
establishment  of  closer  relations  between  the  alumni  and 
the  College,  the  bringing  into  active  existence  that  con- 
dition of  which  President  Davies  had  dreamed.  The 
first  step  was  the  founding  in  1826  of  the  "  Alumni 
Association  of  Nassau  Hall,"  organized  to  promote  the 
interests  of  the  College  and  the  friendly  intercourse 
of  its  graduates.  A  constitution  was  adopted,  in  the 
framing  of  which  George  Mifflin  Dallas  cf  the  class  of 
1810,  and  later  vice-president  of  the  Uniced  States,  took 
a  leading  part;  the  venerable  James  Madison  of  1771 
was  elected  its  first  president,  and  Professor  Maclean 
was  made  secretary,  a  post  which  he  held  for  over  half 
a  century.     An  alumni   feature  was  introduced  into 


*  '£^:imE:M^smi?i^M:sipmiaM^^!fsmm:Mi.'esmst^- 


••'r^^f^r^'ixi^: 


LOWEST  EBB 


141 


commencement  by  the  Halls  in  alternately  inviting  a 
distinguished  graduate  to  deliver  a  public  address  the 
evening  before  commencement,  and  for  thirty  years  this 
"  Alumni  Address  "  formed  a  popular  feature.  The 
addresses  were  published  annually,  and  one  or  two  be- 
came contemporary  classics,  finding  their  way  even  into 
school  readers  and  books  of  declamation. 

The  establishment  of  chairs  in  law  and  medicine  had 
been  once  more  discussed  in  1825,  but  when  funds  were 
so  low  that  the  alumni  luncheon  at  commencement  was 
being  paid  for  by  the  faculty,  nothing  could  come  of 
the  discussion.    The  number  of  students  was  shrinking 
again,  until  in  1827  there  were  only  eighty  and  in  1829 
seventy  in  residence.    College  fees  were  trimmed  down 
in  the  hope  that  students  would  be  attracted  by  the 
cheapness  of  an  education  at  Princeton.*    When  cheap- 
ness failed  to  produce  the  result  expected,  salaries  were 
cut  to  reduce  running  expenses.    In  1828,  for  example, 
the  total  income  was  $6,147,  while  the  budget  was  $6,900, 
and  the  deficit  of  $753  loomed  so  large  that  the  sorely 
driven  members  of  the  faculty  were  again  the  sufferers. 
A  reduction  of  salaries  went  into  effect,  by  which  a 
balance  was  shown  of  some  $400.    But  the  only  other 
result  was  that  six  months  later  the  treasurer  and  two 
of  the  three  professors  resigned. 
Intensely    discouraged,    Dr.    Carnahan    had    serious 

*In  1829  undergraduate  expenses  were  reduced  to  $96  for  the 
winter  session  and  $77  for  the  summer  term,  and  by  economy  the 
annual  total  could  be  kept  as  low  as  $130. 

The  estimated  minimum  and  maximum  cost  per  year  at  Prince- 
ton for  the  last  85  years  has  been  given  in  the  annual  catalogues 


as  follows: 

1828   $  174.00 

1838    $  163-197.00 

1848  $  198.00 

1858  $  193-281.00 

1868  $  288-397.00 


1878  $  304-579.00 

1888  $  313-651.00 

1898  $  329-663.00 

1908  $  381-729.00 

1913  $  364-748.00 


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142     PKIXCETON  BEFORP:  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

thought  of  rcoommending  the  closing  of  the  institution 
until  brighter  days  should  dawn.    He  was  already  fall- 
ing into  his  role  of  passivity,  while  John  Maclean,  with 
all  the  cnergj'  of  his  splendid  constitution,  his  mental 
alertness,  and  his  unwavering  faith  in  the  College,  was 
fighting  every  inch  of  the  downhill  road.    Into  the  breach 
he  stepped  with  the  plan  which  arrested  the  dry  rot 
that   had   been   setting    in.    Confident   that   the   hope 
of  the  College  lay  not  in  cheapening  the  cost  to  students 
to  the  point  of  charity,  but  in  strengthening  the  faculty 
and  thus  drawing  the  numbers  on  whose  foes  the  Col- 
lege depended,  he  insisted  first  on  the  separation  of  the 
chair  of  natural   and   physical  sciences  from  that  of 
mathematics,  a  union  which  had  inevitably  worked  to 
the  neglect  of  the  sciences  and  invariably  resulted  in 
decrease  of  students.    lie  perceived,  as  some  in  higher 
authority  did  not,  that  the  sciences  had  come  into  the 
curriculum  to  stay  and  demanded  consideration  not  as 
adjuncts  to  mathematics,  but  as  subjects  by  themselves. 
Next,  he  devised  a  plan  for  enlarging  the  faculty,  and 
Dr.  Carnahan  welcoming  any  scheme  that  might  spell 
salvation,  Maclean  carried  his  plan  to  the  board  in  1829, 
emerging  from  the  general  shake-up  that  ensued  with 
the  chair  of  ancient  languages  on  one  shoulder  and  the 
vice-presidency  on  the  other.     Albert  Baldv/in  Dod  of 
the  class  of  1822,  a  young  man  of  marked  powers  as 
a  teacher,  was  made  instructor  in  natural  philosophy, 
with  the  promise  of  a  professorship  the  next  year.    Pro- 
fessor Vothake  was  recalled  from  Dickinson ;  John  Tor- 
rey,  by  this  time  an  eminent  professor  of  chemist 'y  in 
New  York,  was  engaged  to  deliver  a  course  of  lectures 
at  Princeton  during  the  summer  term ;  and  a  well-known 
teacher  of  modern  languages,  Louis  Hargous,  was  simi- 
larly appointed  to  give  summer  courses  in  his  subjects, 


'l^-'-^M^,' 


MACLEAN'S  PLANS 


143 


French  being  already  a  required  freshman  subject.    For 
thoir  lialf-year  services  Torrey  and  Hargous  were  to 
receive   corresponding  salaries,   while   to   save   further 
money  for  the  present  a  year's  leave  of  absence  without 
salary  was  granted  to  Vethake,  and  the  tireless  lilac- 
Ican  assumed  the  extra  work  himself.    Joseph  Addison 
Alexander  of  the  class  of  1826,  though  only  a  young 
man  of  twenty,  was  already  showing  his  amazing  fa- 
cility for  linguistics  and  was  made  adjunct  professor 
of  ancient  languages.    Meanwhile  it  was  discovered  that 
the  lands  the  College  had  received  from  .Air.  Elias  Bou- 
dinot  had  been  entirely  forgotten.     One  lot  had  been 
sold,  on  which  $4,000  was  due  to  the  College,  and  there 
was  still  a  tract  of  four  thousand  acres  in  Pennsylvania 
at  the  board's  disposal.    Maclean  by  this  time  had  ma- 
tured other  plans  for  raising  money,  and  in  1830  over 
$13,000  was  collected  in  cash  or  pledges.    On  the  basis 
of  these  new  resources,  and  by  a  process  of  financial 
juggling  at  which  Jlaclean  was  a  genius,  the  faculty  had 
been  gradually  increased  until  it  now  numbered  ten, 
the  largest  on  record,  consisting  of  President  Carnahan, 
in  mental  and  moral  philosophy;  Maclean,  in  ancient 
languages;  Dod,  in  mathematics;  Vethake,  in  natural 
philosophy;  Torrey,  in  chemistry  and  natural  history; 
Hamuel  L.  Howell,  a  local  physician,  in  anatomy  and 
physiology ;  Hargous,  in  modem  languages ;  Joseph  Ad- 
dison Alexander,  adjunct  professor  of  ancient  languages, 
and  two  tutors.     The  lectures  on  anatomy  and  physi- 
ology   were    primarily    for    graduates,    and    in    1829- 
.1830    there    were    nine    studying    under    Dr.    Howell, 
while     three     others     were     reading     chemistry     with 
Torrey. 

The  indefatigable  vice-president  next  secured  funds 
to  have  the  natural  history  cabinet  restored  and  cared 


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144     PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

for  by  the  appointment  of  a  curator  who  should  also 
be  a  lecturer  on  natural  history,  and  Professor  Benedict 
Jaeger  was  secured.  Mr.  Jaeger  was  at  the  same  time 
appointed  professor  of  Italian  and  German,  and,  on 
Mr.  Ilargous'  subsequent  resignation,  was  made  pro- 
fessor of  modern  languages. 

Dr.  Maclean  had  also  galvanized  the  Alumni  Asso- 
ciation into  active  interest,  and.  through  it  money  had 
been  raised  for  the  support  of  the  chair  of  modem  lan- 
guages and  for  the  creation  of  a  fund  for  indigent  stu- 
dents not  candidates  for  the  ministry— the  first  time 
that  they  had  received  recognition.  Now  the  Associa- 
tion came  forward  with  the  proposition  that  a  new  dormi- 
tory was  an  imperative  necessity.  East  College  was 
accordingly  erected  in  1832,  followed  four  years  later  by 
West  College. 

In  the  summer  of  1832  Professor  Vcthake  was  called 
to  New  York  University,  and  his  departure  opened  the 
door  for  the  election  of  the  man  who  was  to  be  the  great- 
est distinction  to  the  scientific  faculty  of  ante-bellum 
Princeton.  Again  it  was  Dr.  :Maclean  who  brought  his 
name  forward.  He  had  heard  Joseph  Henry,  the  Albany 
school-teacher,  well  spoken  of;  Professors  Torrey  and 
Benjamin  Silliman  heartily  indorsed  him,  and  Dr.  Car- 
nahan  acquiescing,  Maclean  wrote  to  Henry  and  secured 
his  agreement  to  come  to  Princeton.  The  trustees,  some- 
what in  the  dark  as  to  who  the  candidate  was  until  they 
read  the  sheaf  of  letters  of  recommendation  that  Maclean 
had  secured,  promptly  elected  him. 

The  Alumni  Association  was  at  this  time  gallantly 
trying  to  raise  $100,000,  and  although  it  had  to  be  satis- 
fied with  only  half  that  amount,  it  nevertheless  enabled 
the  College  to  buy  a  new  telescope  and  to  add  to  the 
faculty,  in  1833,  James  W.  Alexander,  the  former  tutor, 


^aof7. 


■.^?^T=;--«?PVip'-,*>;'::i' 


FUNERAL  OF  COLONEL  BIJKR  145 

as  professor  of  belles  Icttres,  and  in  1834  John  S.  Hart 
as  adjunct  professor  of  languages,  and  Stepaen  Alex- 
ander as  adjunct  professor  of  mathematics.* 

It  seemed,  to-,  as  if  at  this  time  the  Law  School  were 
an  assured  fact,  for  in  1835  funds  were  secured,  but  the 
lecturers  chosen  failing  to  accept  their  appointments 
the  project  was  once  more  laid  aside.    Meanwhile  the 
•  urriculum    was    improving.     Optional    instruction    in 
French,  Spanish,  Italian,  and  German  was     ffered  by 
Professor  Hargous.    Professor  Henry  was  lecturing  on 
architecture  and  civil  engineering  besides  on  his  own 
subject,  natural  philosophy.    Professors  Jaeger  and  Tor- 
rey  were  adding  to  the  scientific  collections  of  the  Col- 
lege,  Jaeger  forming  an  extensive  entomological  collection 
and  Torrey  gathering  one  thousand  different  varieties 
of  local  flora  as  a  basis  for  a  botanical  course  and  col- 
lection. 

In  September,  1836,  another  reminder  of  an  eariier 
period  in  its  history  came  to  the  College  in  the  funeral 
of  Colonel  Aaron  Burr,  son  of  President  Burr  and  a 
f?raduate  of  the  class  of  1772.  He  was  an  infant  of  a 
t.'w  months  when  his  parents  moved  to  Princeton  from 
Newark;  blessed  with  all  his  father's  personal  magnet- 

Ifpn^rv ''''hu^'"'''*"'^'.-  ""'*'  .a  Poufiin  and  brother-in-law  of  Jose.h 

Henry.     His  connection  with  the  College   began  in   1833  when 

1.-    was    appointed    tutor    in    mathematifs.      Soon    entering    Mb 

.osen  field,  in  1840    he  became  professor  of  astronomy   and  for 

'vouni  men'Cr'"  ^'"'  T^l^  "''^  i'npro^sio;  o/huSdredl 
ot  young  men  who  came  under  his  teaching.     Without  adeauate 

m.  hTnTe  wav  "f^"'"^  '  T^L'^'^'''  *'^^'-'  he  accomplished 

n  11.        ,     ^  ?^  astronomical  observation  and  in  meteoroloOT. 

Ho  ^^as  made-  professor  emeritus  in  1877  and  died  in  1883 

f.r  tuf  voL?"*','''^''  was  a  graduate  of  1830,  had  been  a  tutor 

U  nli      Ti^l'^  '^™'""f'^  ^"^  *"'°  '""'•'^  ^^  professor  of  ancient 

.  nguagBs.     Thirty  years  later  he  returned  to  Princeton  to  taka 

tl..'  chair  of  English,  and  here  he  brought  his  reputaUon  as  an 

01  readers  and  text-books  innumerable  on  the  English  langua^ 


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14G     PRINCETON  BEFORK  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

ism.  he  had  grown  up  \u  tl»o  precincts  of  the  College ;  in 
Nassau  Hall  ho  had  delivered  his  senior  oration  on  the 
oddly  sipniticant  subji'ct.  "  Castle  lUiilding  ";  the  Revo- 
lution had  found  him  a  brave  ofliecr;  and  as  time  went 
on  he  had  been  raised  to  the  highest  dignity  but  one 
within  the  gift  of  the  American  peoi)le.    In  his  old  age, 
lonely  and  dishonored,  he  was  wont  to  spend  part  of 
each  summer  in  Princeton.    A  year  or  two  before  his 
death  his  old  society,  the  Cliosophie,  had  invited  him  to 
preside  at  its  commencement  meeting.    It  was  not  strange 
that  he  should  wish  to  be  buried  in  the  home  of  his  boy- 
hood.   His  body  lay  in  state  in  Na.ssau  Hall,  where  Presi- 
dent Carnahan  preached  a  funeral  sermon ;  and  escorted 
by  the  Mercer  Guards,  a  military  band,  and  a  proces- 
sion composed  of  the  Cliosophie  Society,  the  faculty,  and 
students  of  College  and  Seminary,  he  was  buried  with 
full  railitarj'  honors  at  the  foot  of  his  father's  grave 
in  the  Presidents'  Lot.* 

At  about  this  time  occurred  an  incident  known  in 
Princeton  annals  as  the  "  Rape  of  tlie  Cannon,"  which 
led,  in  1875,  to  what  was  called  the  *'  Cannon  War  "  be- 
tween Princeton  and  Rutgers.  The  "  Rape  "  is  worthy 
of  passing  comment  not  only  because  it  restored  to  the 
Princeton  campus  a  landmark,  but  principally  because  it 
was  the  earliest  appearance  of  any  college  spirit  among 
the  undergraduates.  Of  the  three  cannon  left  in  or  near 
Princeton  during  the  Revolution  the  largest  had  lain 
for  years  on  the  campus  near  the  site  of  the  present 
library.  Borrowed  by  New  Brunswick  during  the  War 
of  1812,   it  had  been  left  on  the   Common,  where  it 

'  The  false  stories  of  Colonel  Burr's  funeral  are  disposed  of 
by  the  contemporary  account  in  the  Princeton  Whig,  and  by  nar- 
ratives in  the  Record  of  the  class  of  1838.  who  as  sophomores 
took  part  in  the  ocf.ision.  See  also  Hageman.  "  History  of  Prince- 
ton." Vol.  II,  p.  317. 


MB^l±Jt\,^:^1kMM',£m.3  -^JM^JMl^ 


THE  CANNON 


147 


party  of      Pnncoton  Hlucs."  u  local  n.ilitury  organiza- 
'-",  went  to  Now  Brun.swi.k  to  brin^  it  Ick      The 
vagon   broke  ciovvn  at   Quconston  on  The  outskirts  of 
i;nmn.ton  and  the  gun  vva.s  again  loft  where  it  fel      One 
HiJ,'  t  m  1838  about  one  hundred  students  evaded  the 
Z  on  1:1  ^'^'^-^^T^'-^  ^^^-'-"  and  dragged  the 
TnmJV     '"'r"''  ''^^'"^'  '^  '°  ^'•'^^t  of  ^^«««au  Hall. 
,l!v      .»!    ''■^'  P'""*'^  '""'"'"  ^^°^^'«'  ^•'•^'•e  it  stands  to- 
clay  zn  the  center  of  the  quadrangle  behind  Nassau  Hall 
Meanwhile  one  of  the  two  smaller  Revolutionary  eannon 
had  been  lying  for  over  half  a  eentuiy  on  the  College 
dewalk.  and  after  brief  service  as  a  eorner-post  i^wS 
ken,  ,n  1858,  by  the  Junior  Class  and  planted  betwlen 
he  two  Halls.    This  was  the  gun  which  in  April,  1875 
a  party  of  Rutgers  students  dug  up  and  earHed  off  to 
New  Brunswick  under  the  impression  that  it  was  the  gun 
recovered  from  New  Brunswick  in  1836.    The  "  Cannon 
war      ensued.    A  rescue  party  soon  appeared  at  Rut- 
gers and  destroyed  property  in  their  effort  to  find  the 
missing   rehc.    The    dispute   was    settled    by    a    jo  nt 
oommittee    of    both    faculties,    and    the    gun    wa     a 
length   returned    to   its   owners,   who   repfanted   it   so 
lod^e^it         "'^^'"'^  ^"*  """  earthquake  could  now  dis- 
The  financial  condition  of  the  College  in  1844  was 

Thotru        '°  ^  ''P°''  "^'^^  *°  '^''  ^'^'^  «f  t'-u^tees. 
\assan  nT.r?  equipment  of  the  College,  including 
Nassau  Hall,  the  houses  of  the  president,  vice-president 
hree  professors  and  the  steward,  the  library  building 
and  Its  duplicate  the  philosophical  hall.  East  and  West 

'r  OOo''  T.  pM^'°''  "^  ''''  "'^^^^'  ^'''  i^^^r^d  for 
■;-i,WU.  The  College  owned  in  round  numbers  $22  817 
-  t^unk  stock,  etc.,  and  had  debts  amounting  to  $24,018. 


^lapfNA^ppiff* 


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■  \ 


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148     PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

The  total  annual  expenses  were  $13,978,  covering  a 
salary  budget  (ten  teaching  and  six  administrative  offi- 
cers) of  $12,085;  interest  and  insurance  charges  of 
$1,223;  repairs,  $500;  commencement  expenses,  $90; 
printing  and  postage,  $80.  The  income  from  interest  on 
investments  and  from  student  fees  for  general  purposes 
Avas  $13,413,  leaving  a  deficit  of  $565.  The  charitable 
funds  amounted  to  $28,966,  producing  an  income  of 
$1,752,  which  was  not  available  for  general  pur- 
poses. 

That  Dr.  Maclean  had  correctly  diagnosed  the  situa- 
tion and  its  remedy  was  amply  proved,  for  the  enlarge- 
ment of  the  faculty  had  been  quickly  followed  by  in- 
crease in  student  numbers.     In  1829  there  were  only 
seventy  undergraduates  in  College ;  in  1831  the  total  had 
leaped  to  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine;  the  following 
year  it  was  one  hundred  and  fifty ;  in  1835  it  had  passed 
the  two  hundred  mark,  and  in  1839  it  reached  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy,  having  more  than  trebled  in  ten  years. 
The  lowest  number  was  one  hundred  and  ninety  in 
1842,  and  the  highest  two  hundred  and  seventy-one  in 
1851-1852.    But  Dr.  IMaclean's  policy  was  most  worthy 
of  praise  for  the  brilliant  and  scholarly  type  of  men  it 
brought  into  the  faculty.    This  period,  when  there  was 
a  distinguished  group  like  Torrey,  Henry,  Dod,   and 
James  W.  Alexander  lecturing  in  College,  came  to  an 
end  before  the  middle  of  the  century.     In  1844  Pro- 
fessor Alexander,  whose  tastes,  training,  and  personality 
had  made  him  an  ideal  occupant  of  the  chair  of  belles 
lettres,  resigned  to  take  a  Now  York  pastorate.    In  1845 
occurred,  at  the  age  of  forty,  the  death  of  Professor 
Dod,  in  whom  mathematics  was  only  one  expression  oi 
remarkable  higher  intellectual  versatility,  as  his  essays 
in  the  Princeton  Review  and  the  fame  of  his  public  lee- 


M 


LAW  SCHOOL 


149 


tares  on  architecture  prove;  and  in  1S48  the  Smithsonian 
Institution  demanded  the  services      Joseph  Henry.> 

For  several  years  thereafter  Pre'  or  Henry  gave  an 
annual  course  of  lectures  at  Princet  m  and  he  was  made 
!i  trustee  in  1864,  but  his  chair  was  not  adequately  filled 
lor  twenty-five  years.  Elias  Loom  is,  who  was  to  make 
Ins  mathematical  reputation  at  Yale,  occupied  it  for 
a  year,  to  be  succeeded  by  Richard  S.  McCulloh  (A.B., 
1836)  who  remained  for  five  years  and  then  also  left  to 
make  a  reputation  elsewhere.  Professor  Stephen  Alex- 
ander added  the  duties  of  the  chair  to  that  of  astronomy 
until  1873  when  Cyrus  Fogg  Brackett  was  called  by  Dr. 
:\IeCosh  to  be  Princeton's  first  professor  of  physics. 

In  June,  1846,  the  plans  for  a  law  department  at  last 
reached  consummation  and  three  professors  were  ap- 
pointed—Joseph C.  Hornblower,  who  had  just  ended 

■In  the  library  of  Princeton  University  is  a  document  siffned 
and  dated  by  Henry  in  1876,  giving  an  extended  account  oMhe 
expenments  and  researches  he  made  at  Princeton.     Upmost  im 
portant  discovery  may  be  described  in  his  own  modest  uTJnZ 
At  Albany  he  had  already  invented,  he  says.  "  the  first  electSfg 

etic  telegraph,  in  which  signals  were  transmitted  by  exciting 
an  electro  magnet  at  a  distance,  by  which  means  dots  might  bi 
K;ters°^fP/r'l7''K'f"%^r  ^^''"^^  •"  succession  indica  ing 
.^^nii  !,  t.f'V  P''*.^'^-  ^"  ^^"^  ™'''^t  o^  these  investigations  I 
m/  JS  ^'^  ^'■■"«'^t«";  ■  •  ^  ""^•^'l  '"  Princeton  in  November; 
1K.12,  and  as  soon  as  I  became  fully  settled  in  the  chair  which 
1  occupied,  1  recommenced  my  investigations  .  .  an.l  ju/t  ,™ 
ous  to  my  leaving  for  England  in  1837,  again  turned  mv  attention 

o  the  telegraph.  I  think  the  first  actual  line  of  telej^aph  using 
the  earth  as  a  conductor  was  made  in  the  beginning  of  1836  A 
lrZ^\l^  extended  acroBs  the  front  campus  of  the  College  grounds 

mm  the  upper  story  of  the  library  building  to  the  Philosophical 
i  M  on  the  opposite  side,  the  ends  terminating  in  two  wells 
Ihrough  this  wire  signals  were  sent  from  time  tf  time  f?om  mv 
house  o  my  laboratory."  The  celebration,  in  the  au  umn  o? 
l.^.S,  of  the  laying  of  the  Atlantic  Cable  was  turned  at  Princeton 
mu  unnaturally  into  a  celebration  in  honor  of  Professor  HennT 
r.o  Aas,sau  Lxterary  Magazine  for  September,   1858.  contains  a 

ill  account  of  the  occasion.    The  principal  address  was  made  by 

ulh'.'r  Stephen  Alexander,  who  had 'worked  at  Heni^'s  sidJ 
and  had  watched  him  explain  his  discovery  to  Morse. 


i 


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«   I    1 


150     PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

service  as  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New 
Jersey,  to  the  chair  of  civil  law;  James  S.  Green,  a 
trustee  of  the  College  and  treasurer  of  both  the  College 
and  the  Seminary,  and  who  had  been  a  State  senator,  to 
the  chair  of  jurisprudence ;  and  Richard  S.  Field,  for- 
merly Attorney  General  of  the  State  and  but  lately  a 
member  of  the  New  Jersey  Constitutional  Convention, 
to  the  chair  of  constitutional  law  and  jurisprudence.    No 
examination  was  required  for  admission  to  the  law  de- 
partment, each  student  being  expected,  however,  to  show 
testimonials  of  good  moral  character  and  "  sufficient 
literary   and   scientific   attainments."     The   fees   were 
fifty  dollars  per  session,  which  covered  the  use  of  text- 
books in  the  library  and  the  privilege  of  attendance  on 
college  lectures  and  at  the  college  chapel.    The  course  was 
planned  to  be  normally  one  of  three  years,  but  on  com- 
pletion of  two  years'  study  the  student  might  apply  for 
the  degree  of  bachelor  of  laws.     If  he  were  already  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar,  he  might  apply  for  th.'  degree  after 
one  year.    For  the  use  of  the  law  school  Mr.  Field  erected 
a  building  on  Mercer  Street  later  known  as  Ivy  Hall, 
of  which  Dr.  Samuel  INIiller  is  said  to  have  remarked 
that  it  would  be  no  sin  to  worship  it,  since  it  resembled 
nothing  in  heaven  above  or  in  the  earth  beneath  or  in 
the  waters  under  the  earth.     Worshiped  or  not,  the 
building  has  since  its  relinquishment  by  the  law  school 
proved  of  great  usefulness  first  as  a  library  and  then,  on 
its  acquisition  by  Trinity  Church,  as  a  club  house  in  the 
parochial  work  of  that  corporation. 

The  formal  opening  of  the  law  school  was  made  a 
feature  in  the  celebration  of  the  centennial  anniversary 
of  the  College  at  commencement  in  June,  1847.  Besides 
a  large  number  of  alumni  there  were  present  on  this 
occasion  the  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  George 


ill' 


A^ 


CENTENNIAL  151 

Mifflin  Dallas  (1810),  the  governor,  the  chief  justice,  and 
tlje  chancellor  of  New  Jersey,  the  chief  justice  and  chan- 
cellor of  Delaware,  a  justice  of  the  United  States  Su- 
preme Court,  and-  several  ex-governors  of  New  Jersey 
invitations  were  sent  to  the  leading  institutions  and 
learned  societies  of  the  country,  and  a  number  of  the  col- 
leges were  represented  by  delegates.    Among  the  invited 
guests  who  could   not   attend   was   the   venerable   Ex- 
President  of  the  United  States,  John  Quinoy  Adams,  who 
sent  a  letter  of  congratulation.*    The  academic  proces- 
sion formed  at  the  law  school  building  and  proceeded  to 
the  First  Church  to  listen  to  the  address  of  Chief  Justice 
Henry  W.  Green  (1820)  fcr.nally  opening  the  school. 
Later  in  the  day  a  centennial  address  was  delivered  by 
Dr.  James  W.  Alexander.     On  the  afternoon  of  Com- 
mencement Day  the  alumni  dinner  was  served  in  the 
quadrangle  behind  Nassau  Hall,  beneath  a  "  spacious  and 
commodious  tent  for  the  accommodation  of  about  700 
persons."    In  the  company  was  one  alumnus  who  had 
been  graduated  in  1787,  and  several  who  had  been  gradu- 
ated before  1800.    Thirteen  formal  toasts  were  proposed 
and  responded  to,  and  ten  impromptu  toasts  were  also 
offered.    Among  the  speakers  were  Ex-Governor  William 
Pennington  (1813)  of  New  Jersey,  Bishop  Doane   Pro- 
fessor Olmstead  of  Yale,  Nathaniel  S.  Prime  (1804)   and 
Vice-President  Dallas. 

During  1847-1848  and  1848-1849  there  were  eight 
students  in  the  law  school,  and  the  first  year  there  were 
four  attorneys  also  following  the  course.  Law  students 
and  other  graduate  students  are  not  listed  in  the  cata- 
logue after  1849  and  there  is  therefore  no  record  of  the 

'Printed  in  tlie  pamphlet  official  report  of  the  celebration  "  The 
ton    IT^8  """'^'^'■^'■y  °^  the  College  of  New  Jersey,"  Prince- 


J#1*» 


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v' 


152     PRINCETOxN  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

number  attending  the  law  school.  The  announcement  of 
the  department  was  dropped  from  the  catalogue  after 
1851-1852,  although  the  names  of  the  three  professors  are 
retained  until  1854-1855.  The  degree  of  bachelor  of  laws 
was  conferred  on  seven  men  only — four  in  1849,  two  in 
1850,  and  one  in  1852.  The  law  department  had  been 
practically  abandoned  long  before  this  last  date,  owing 
to  the  lack  of  funds  to  pay  adequate  salaries  to  the  lec- 
turers and  to  develop  the  plan. 

Princeton's  attempt  to  give  the  State  of  New  Jersey 
a  law  school  was  a  failure ;  but  at  the  opposite  end  of  the 
State's  legal  ladder  the  University  has  been  strikingly 
successful.  Since  1776,  twelve  of  the  twenty-four  attor- 
neys-general of  New  Jersey,  thirty-one  of  the  seventy 
associate  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  seven  of  the 
thirteen  chief  justices  (not  including  two  who  declined), 
and  seven  of  the  nine  chancellors  of  the  State,  have  been 
Princeton  graduates. 

A  sensible  change  in  the  annual  calendar,  suggested 
by  Dr.  Maclean,  had  gone  into  effect  in  1844,  by  which 
eomniencement  was  moved  from  September  to  June. 
Up  to  this  time  Commencement  Day  had  been  the  last 
Wednesday  in  September  followed  by  a  vacation  of  six 
weeks,  after  which  the  winter  term  opened,  running  un- 
til April  and  followed  by  a  vacation  of  five  weeks  which, 
m  turn,  was  succeeded  by  the  summer  term,  ending  with 
Commencement  Day.  Under  the  new  plan  the  winter 
term  of  nineteen  weeks  began  six  week^j  after  eommence- 
inei.t  in  June,  and  was  followed  by  a  vacation  of  six 
woeks  and  the  .'spring  term  of  Iwenty-one  weeks,  ending 
at  ommencemenT.  This  chance  of  season  did  much  to 
abolish  the  undignified  featur-s  that  had  grown  up 
around  commencement  during  the  course  of  a  eenturj'. 

The  prayer-hall  in  Nassau  Hall  having  been  outgrown, 


ENDOWMENT  153 

a  new  chapel  was  erected  in  the  spring  of  1847.  This 
building,  which  was  removed  in  1896,  to  make  room  for 
the  university  library,  after  the  erection  of  Marquand 
Chapel  became  the ' '  Old  Chapel, ' '  so  long  associated  with 
certain  famous  courses  in  oratory  and  public  speaking 
and  with  the  riotous  Washington  Birthday  exercises  of  the 
eighties  and  nineties.  The  prayer-hall  was  converted  into 
a  picture  gallery,  and  after  the  fire  of  1855  it  became  the 
college  library  and  later  a  general  museum,  until  in 
1906  It  was  remodeled  as  the  faculty  room.  It  is  Prince- 
ton's  most  historic  apartment. 

Dr.  :MacIean  had  further  opportunity  a  little  later 
to  show  his  zeal  for  the  administrative  liberty  of  the 
College  and  his  consummate  belief  in  it  when  the  Board 
of  Education  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  developed  its 
plan  for  establishing  schools  and  colleges  under  control 
of  the  presbyteries  and  synods  of  the  Church.     While 
certain  colleges  yielded  outright  to  the  pressure  or  ac- 
cepted compromises,  Maclean,  true  to  the  spirit  of  the 
charter  and  of  the  founders,  protested  against  the  whole 
scheme  and  fought  successfully  against  its  application 
to  Princeton.    But  the  movement  emphasized  the  neces- 
sity  of  creating  an  endowment  for  the  College  so  that  it 
might  be  free  of  constant  calls  for  aid ;  and  to  Dr  Mac- 
lean and  Professor  .Alatthew  B.  Hope,  who  had  succeeded 
Professor  Alexander  in  the  chair  of  belles  kttres,  is  due 
the  credit  for  the  scheme.    Over  $100,000  was  raised  for 
scholarships,  the  chairs  of  mental  and  moral  pliiIo.sophy 
and  of  geology  and  physical  geography  were  endowed, 
and  in  1854  it  became  possible  to  secure  the  services 
of  Professors  Lyman  II.  Atwater  and  Arnold  Guyot. 

In  June,  1853,  President  Carnahau,  whose  administra- 
tion had  now  lasted  Ihirty-one  years,  resigned.  He  was 
m  his  seventy-eighth  year.    Not  being  ready  to  elect  his 


it\i 


' 


■WfHfpi 


-: : 


•i  '■ 


154     PULNCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

siu'i'cssor,  tlio  board  of  trustees  requested  him  to  remain 
in  office  until  connneneenient  in  185-4.    On  the  whole,  he 
was  justified  in  l()oi<ing  back  with  satisfaction  on  his 
long  incumbency,  the  longest  in  the  history  of  the  Col- 
lege.   When  he  entered  office  in  1823  the  College  was  in 
a  state  bordering  on  demoralization,  and  the  number  of 
students  was  shrinking  steadily,  reaching  the  low  figure 
of  seventy  in  1829.    During  the  last  twenty  years  of  his 
presidency,  however,  the  average  number  in  residence 
had  been  two  hundred  and  thirty,  with  the  highest  num- 
ber two  hundred  and  sov  ■nty-one  in  1852.    In  1823  his 
faculty  had  consisted  of  two  professors  and  two  tutors; 
when  he  resigned  he  left  a  faculty  of  six  professors,  two 
assistant  profcs.sors,  three  tutors,  and  a  teacher  of  modern 
languages.      'vcr  seventy-five  thousand  dollars  had  been 
spent  on  '  uldings.  on  improving'  and  enlarging  the 
th      quipment  of  the  College,  while  endow- 
irships   and    professorships    had    been 
mount  of  more  than  one  hundred  thou- 
ntier  him  1,677  students  had  taken  their 
the  single  rebellion  in  the  winter  of 
-•ganized  combination  against  authority 
thirty  voars,  nor  had  College  exercises 

int'   -upted  once  on  that  soore.^ 

wen      two  professors  and  forty-three 

i  ,'0  only  one  officer  of  the  College, 

when  he  came  in  1823,  was  still 

;  , .        an.-   To  this  man.  and  to  the  close 


se 


canrms  ai 
ments   for 
collected  to  th- 
sand  dollar 
degrees,     i 
his  accessif     n 
had  ..'curr   I  * 
been  su-p  ndc 
He   hail   sec 
tutors  ■  ar. 

a  meiiil      ')f  tl 
with  him — Job 


'For  pxamplc.  Dr  ..rnahan  cut  clown  tho  rows  of  poplar3 
which  an  earlier  administration  had  planted  on  the  campus  and 

substituted   elms.  ,  „  •       ^       •      *  t- 

'  Cholera  had  broken  out  in  the  villaRo  of  Princeton  in  .^uijust, 
lH't2  and  so  many  students  were  called  home  by  their  parents 
that  the  College  was  closed  for  the  remaining  few  we.-ks  of  the 
summer  term.  This  was  the  only  occasion  during  Dr.  Carnahan  s 
presidency  that  a  session  was  in  any  way  curtailed. 


ij^ 


PRESIDENT  MACLEAN  155 

and  beautiful  friendship  that  existed  between  him  and 
I'resident  Carnahan,  the  latter 's  administration  owes 
ahuost  all  it  has.  In  the  words  of  Dr.  DeWitt »  "  the 
administration  of  Dr.  Carnahan,  especially  from  1829 
until  his  resignation  in  1853,  was  a  collegiate  adminis- 
ration  m  which  the  two  colleagues  labored  as  one  man  " 
But  for  many  years  Dr.  Carnahan  was  little  more  than  a 
ligurc-hcad.    This  may  have  been  due  in  part  to  his  calm 

hberty  of  action  he  gave  to  his  faculty  and  to  which  Dr. 
DeWitt  has  alluded;  but  there  can  be  no  question  that 

nUn«r  ""Tr  "^  "P  '"  '^'  "^^^"^^  of  ^i«  campus 
nickname.    If  anyone  deserved  to  be  called  "  Boss  "in 

hose  uays  ^t  was  Vice-President  Maclean,  and  not  Dr. 

tr  bute  tn'r  "  '''  'T'  ''  "^^^^*^°^  ^«  P^'^  full 
tribute  to  the  services  of  his  junior  colleague 

vaclnf  n°rf ''  '"  '°^"''  '^"^'P^  "^°^  *°  ^^^^Pt  the 
vacant  presidency  met  with  his  refusal   to  leave  the 

Smithsonian  and  when  an  attempt  to  elect  the  Reverend 
Dr.  David  Magie  of  Elizabeth,  New  Jersey,  also  failed,- 
clected  "^  """■   ^^«^^^°'-the  latter  was 

Well  over  fifty,  President  Maclean  had  no  longer  the 
vigor  of  earlier  days;  but  it  is  possible  that  the  quiet 
growth  which  even  so  marks  his  administration  would 
!.ave  been  larger  had  his  term  of  office  not  encountered 
a  series  of  misfortunes.  The  year  after  his  election 
-Nassau  Hall  wa.s  once  more  destroyed  by  fire;  then  en- 
sued a  period  of  financial  depression  in  the  country  and 
I'ls  project  for  obtaining  endowments  had  to  be  laid 
ns.de;  the  Civil  War  followed  and  over  a  third  .f  the 
students  left  College  for  their  Southern  homes,  ^hile 

-;;75i;ss"aS'^.  ^^^'sas-^j^  ^i,^-^-^^  con. 


(•M-'f  m. 


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156     TRIXCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

others  answered  the  call  to  the  Northern  army;  enter- 
ing classes  were  small  and  the  total  therefore  remained 
stationary.  With  the  end  of  the  war  arose  a  set  of  con- 
ditions, educational  and  national,  that  were  distinctly 
different  from  those  under  which  he  had  been  trained, 
and  calling  for  a  leadership  which  his  long  service  under 
another  order  of  things  had  not  prepared  him  to  give. 
His  presidency  therefore  very  properly  brings  the  old 
era  to  an  end. 

His  inaugural,  delivered  at  commencement,  1854, 
frankly  declares  he  would  aim  at  no  innovations  but 
rather  at  the  extension  and  improvement  of  the  course 
of  study  laid  out  by  his  predecessors.  He  proposed 
still  to  insist  on  the  general  training  afforded  by  a  care- 
fully balanced  curriculum  required  of  all  students  as 
being  best  suited  to  give  the  liberal  preparation  needed 
before  devoting  oneself  to  the  special  preparation  for 
a  profession.  Dr.  I\Iaclean  was  expressing  once  more  the 
cardinal  educational  principle  for  which  Princeton  had 
stood  and  is  still  standing,  viz.:  that  there  is  a  funda- 
mental body  of  cultural  studies  which  every  educated 
man  should  be  required  to  pursue  for  a  time  before  he 
follows  his  own  taste  or  prepares  for  a  chosen  profession. 

A  required  curriculum,  however,  would  not  mean  an 
inflexible  one ;  and  Dr.  IMaelean  proposed  to  enlarge  the 
curriculum.  He  would  raise  the  entrance  requirements 
and  thus  be  enabled  to  introduce  better  courses;  and 
this  he  hoped  would  lead  to  the  gradual  decline  of  the 
common  practice  of  entering  college  in  one  of  the  later 
years  of  the  course.  All  of  this  he  planned  to  do  by 
means  of  increased  endowments  which  would  enable  him 
also  to  admit  to  college  students  of  ability  not  possessed 
of  the  necessary  funds  to  pay  their  way.  to  place  exist- 
ing professorships  on  a  better  footing,  and  to  establish 


ENDOWMENT 


157 


new  ones.  As  for  discipline,  he  declared  he  would  not 
countenance  any  system  of  espionage  but  would  exercise 
"  careful  oversight  "  over  his  charges—"  not  being  an- 
gels ourselves,  we  shall  not  expect  our  pupils  to  be  angels, 
nor  shall  we  expect  them  to  have  all  the  discretion  of  old 
men  of  mature  minds."  Nevertheless  he  maintained  the 
system  of  close  personal  oversight  he  had  developed  dur- 
ing his  long  administration  of  discipline  and  the  recol- 
lection of  those  who  knew  him  in  their  student  days  is 
chiefly  a  recollection  of  him  as  a  disciplinarian— un- 
ceasingly vigilant,  ever  lenient,  easily  deceived,  gener- 
ous,* and  picturesque— but  a  disciplinarian  after  all. 

It  is  clear  from  his  inaugural  that  Dr.  Maclean  had 
nothing  but  the  American  college  idea  in  his  mind. 
There  is  no  hint  of  the  university  note.  "Whether  he 
would  have  realized  his  plans  for  growth  is  open  to 
grave  question.  But  he  never  got  the  chance.  One  after 
another  the  College  was  to  receive  shocks  that  kept  it 
down. 

In  spite  of  the  general  financial  depression  at  this 
time,  and  the  shock  of  civil  war,  the  actual  increase  in 
vested  funds  during  the  fourteen  years  of  Dr.  Maclean's 
presidency,  after  all  expenses  had  been  met  including  the 
restoration  of  Nassau  Hall,  was  not  less  than  $240,000, 
of  which  $115,000  was  for  professorships,  $55,000  for 
scholarships,  $64,000  for  general  purposes,  .,ud  $6,000 
for  prizes.  The  total  endowment  in  1868,  when  he 
resigned,  amounted  to  $476,000.  It  was  on  this  material 
side  that  the  College  made  its  greatest  progress  during 
Dr.  Maclean's  administration. 

On  the  evening  of  Mareh  10,  1855,  nine  months  after 

^♦^  ^°*  '"u  1"'^.'  i'*'  '•"'^  acpuBiulatwf  a  drawrrful  of  watches  and 
other  trinkets  left  with  h.m  by  student-  as  pledges  for  loins 
made  to  them,  and  which  thry  had  "  neglected ''  to  redeem. 


ifmmmfiHfff 


158     rUIXCETON  liEFURE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 


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MIS  iniuipuration,  hro  t)rok('  out  once  more  m  ^Nassau 
Hall.  The  two  college  pumps  were  unable  to  supply 
sufficient  water,  and  little  could  lie  done  to  arrest  the 
flames.  By  niidnij^lit  only  the  walls  were  left  standing. 
The  editicc  hail  been  insured  for  sf  12,000;  funds  amount- 
ing to  $18,000  were  subscribed,  and  the  balance  of  the 
$50,000  that  rebuilding  cost  was  obtained  from  the  ex- 
cess of  receipts  over  expenditures  during  the  next  five 
years.  College  exerei.ses  had  gone  on  as  u^ual,  the  stu- 
dents finding  quarters  in  the  village. 

The  destruction  of  the  interior  of  Nassau  Hall  gave 
Dr.  ^Maclean  an  opportunity  to  simplify  maintenance  of 
discipline.  When  the  building  was  reconstructed  in 
1855-1856  the  entrances  east  and  west  of  the  main  en- 
trance were  not  restored,  and  the  longitudinal  corridors, 
scenes  of  constant  and  ancient  disorders,  were  cut  up 
by  transverse  walls.  The  old  prayer-hall  was  extended 
several  feet  in  the  rear  and  became  the  library. 

A  more  important  disciplinary  action  taken  by  Presi- 
dent Maclean  was  known  a  the  "  Secret  Society  Cru- 
sade." Greek  fraternities  in  the  modern  sense  made 
their  first  appearance  at  Princeton  in  1843,'  when  Beta 
Theta  Pi  instituted  a  chapter  which  lived  three  years. 
This  was  soon  followed  by  other  chapters  until  ten 
fraternities  were  represented.^     It  was  believed  by  the 

'  Chi  Phi  wa."?  founded  at  Princfton  in  1824,  l)ut  with  some- 
what different  aim.i  from  the  usual  fraternity. 

'  Thp  following  list  of  Princeton  chapters  from  W.  R.  Baird's 
"Manual  of  American  ColIei,'c  Fraternities"  (7th  ed..  New 
York.  1012)  is  lielieved  to  be  completi  :  Beta  Theta  Pi,  1843- 
lS4fi;  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon.  1845-18.57:  Zeta  Psi.  1850-1884; 
Delta  Psi.  1851-185.3;  Chi  Phi,  1851-lS(iO.  1S04-1868;  Kappa 
Alpha,  1852-1850:  Phi  Kappa  Sipiiii.  185;MS7(;:  Sjjrma  Phi,  1S5.3- 
18.58;  Chi  Psi.  1S51-1857:  Delta  Phi,  1854  1S77;  Theta  Delta 
Chi,  1803-1867;  Sigma  Chi.  1869-1882.  Acknowledgment  is  due 
to  Mr.  Baird  for  vnluahle  aid  in  collecting  materials  for  the  his- 
tory of  Greek  fraternities  at  Princeton. 


)A\  .nl  i , 


SECRET  SOCIETY  CKIJSADE 


151) 


.luthoritics  that  the  fratornitios  were  not  to  the  advan- 
tage of  the  College;  that  they  were  endeavoring  unduly 
to  win  college  honors  for  their  own  rneriibers;  that  they 
often  supported  their  members  in  eases  of  diseipline,  and 
that  their  influence,  even  when  directed  toward  .-ocial 
•  njoynmit  and  literary  pursuits,  was  injurious  to  the 
work  of  the  two  Halls— in  one  of  the  Halls  the  tense  situ- 
aljon  caiiic  to  blows— and  it  was  believed  that  the  value 
of  these  two   institutions  was  too  great  to  be  lightly 
tampered  with.    The  first  move  against  the  fraternities 
was  take-n  in  1853  when  parents  and  guardians  were  noti- 
fied that  henceforth  all  students  would  be  required  to 
promise  to  have  nothing  to  do  rtith  any  societies  not 
.sanctioned  by  the  authorities,  and  asking  parents  and 
f,'uardians  to  eo-operate  with  the  faculty  in  furthering 
the  object  of  the  promise.     The  next  year  the  faculty 
•  xacted  a  promise  from  each  student  that  he  would  not 
join  a  fraternity  while  remaining  in  College.    Many  of 
the  societies  regarded  this  pledge  as  void,  being  given 
under  dures5s,  and  continued  activity.     In  some  cases 
•students  frankly  recalled  their  pledge  when  they  joined  a 
fraternity.    But  when  this  became  a  general  practice  the 
faculty  issued  an  ultimatum  that  anyone  joining  a  so- 
eiety  would  be  dismissed,  and  the  board  indorsed  the 
faculty's  action.     The  pledge  and  the  board's  resolu- 
tion were  published  in  the  catalogue  first  in  1856-1857, 
and  the  pledge  has  remained  a  Princeton  matriculation 
requisite.     The  pledge  resulted  in  the  suppression  of 
most  of  the  Princeton  chapters.    A  few  maintained  exist- 
enee  and  kept  up  a  guerrilla  warfare  with  the  authori- 
ties which  did  not  come  to  an  end  until  in  Dr.  McCosh's 
lime. 

The  growth  of  Princeton's  popularity  in  the  South 
under  Witherspoon  has  already  been  pointed  out.    This 


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MICROCOPY    RESOLUTION    TEST    CHART 

ANSI  and  r  O  TEST  CHART  No    2 


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160     PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

Southern  tradition  continued  into  the  next  century.  At 
times,  lialf  the  student  body  was  Southern,  and  in  1859- 
18G0  more  than  a  third  came  from  Southern  States,  al- 
though twenty-six  of  the  thirty-one  States  in  the  Union 
were  represented  in  the  geographical  provenience  of  the 
undergraduates.  Largely  sons  of  rich  planters,  and 
accustomed  to  the  freer  life  of  Southern  homes,  these 
young  men  found  the  routine  and  discipline  of  the  Col- 
lege insufferably  chafing,  and  it  is  not  surprising  that 
their  names  appear  only  too  frequently  in  the  records  as 
incurring  the  wrath  of  the  gods  who  sat  in  the  "  Court 
House,"  as  the  president's  study  was  called.  Their 
attractive  personal  qualities  on  the  other  hand  led  to  the 
formation  of  the  warmest  friendships,  and  when  the 
Civil  "War  came  on  there  was  at  Princeton  accordingly 
far  less  of  violent  partisanship  and  bitterness  of  feel- 
ing than  was  found  in  most  Northern  colleges.  On  the 
contrary,  the  most  general  feeling  on  the  campus  was 
one  of  deep  sadness,  as  reference  to  contemporary  edi- 
torials in  the  Nassau  Literary  Magazine,  and  the  reminis- 
cences of  graduates  of  that  period  show.  The  South- 
erners began  to  be  called  home  in  February,  1861 ;  by 
March  the  exodus  had  become  noticeable,  and  finally  on 
April  23,  1861,  an  entry  in  the  minutes  of  the  faculty 
records  that ' '  in  consequence  of  the  state  of  the  country, 
the  following  named  persons  returned  home  with  the 
consent  of  the  Faculty  " — and  there  follows  a  list  of 
twenty-two  seniors,  fourteen  juniors,  fourteen  sopho- 
mores, and  six  freshmen,  all  Southern.  Dr.  IMaclean  sup- 
plied them  with  the  necessary  funds.  They  left  in  a  body 
and  were  sent  off  with  rousing  cheers. 

What  type  of  men  these  were  may  be  inferred  from 
the  record  of  one  group  of  Princetonians  in  the  Civil 
War.    The  disbanded  chapter  of  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon, 


r 


CIVIL  WAR  161 

uhich  had  been  chiefly  Southern  in  composition,  had 
ih.rty-nine  men  eligible  in  1861.  Of  these,  thirty-one 
f.t  red  the  Confederate  Army,  twenty-eight  becoming 
•  ommissioned  officers.  Three  others  in  this  group  became 
olhcers  in  the  Union  Army. 

The  effect  of  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  on  the  classes 
in  College  was  immediate.    Twenty-four  members  of  the 
Hass  of  1861  left  college  before  the  end  of  the  terra 
^meteen  members  of  the  class  entered  the  Union  Army 
and  one   the   Union   Navy.      Six   fell    in   the   service. 
Iwenty-one   members  entered   the   Confederate  Army 
tour  of  whom  fell  in  service.    The  class  of  1862   owing 
to  Its  time  of  entrance  into  college  and  its  large  propor- 
lon  of  Southerners,  suffered  most  severely,  being  so  shat- 
tered  by  the  war  that  it  never  was  able  to  maintain  an 
active  class  organization.    At  the  beginning  of  its  sopho- 
more year  (1859)  it  had  prospect  of  being  graduated  at 
least  one  hundred  strong,  but  at  commencement  it  num- 
bered only  forty-eight.    In  the  class  of  1863  twelve  were 
serving  in  the  army  at  graduation  and  received  their 
degrees  m  absentia.    Altogether  twenty-two  of  its  mem- 
bers entered  the  Union  service  and  seventeen  the  Con- 
Icderate.    To  the  Confederate  side  Princeton  furnished 
at  least  eight  brigadier  generals,  fourteen  colonels,  and  a 
score  of  lesser  officers.     This  does  not  include  medical 
officers  and  administrative  officials.    The  response  on  the 
bmon  side  was  of  course  just  as  eager;  the  number  of 
1  nncetonians  who  were  officers  in  the  Union  Army  runs 
above    fifty.     Unfortunately    Princeton's    Civil    War 
records  are  still  incomplete,  and  one  of  the  debts  she  still 
owes  to  the  past  is  a  memorial  to  those  of  her  sons  who 
on  one  side  or  the  other,  risked  and,  in  many  eases,' 
sacrificed  their  lives  for  their  cause. 
The  effect  of  the  War  on  the  attendance  at  Princeton 


1 

li 


n-, 


■'A 


162     PRINCETON  BEFORE  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

is  easy  to  register.  The  undergraduate  total  in  18G0-18G1 
had  been  314,  the  largest  on  record ;  when  College  opened 
after  the  summer  of  1861  there  were  only  221  students, 
and  through  the  year  men  kept  dropping  out  to  enter  the 
service  of  the  country.  Not  until  the  last  year  of  Dr. 
Maclean's  administration  were  there  again  as  many  as 
250  undergraduates  in  residence. 

A  few  Southerners  in  the  lower  classes  remained  in 
college   throughout   the   War.     Discussion   of   political 
questions  of  the  hour  was  barred  from  the  Halls  an  ^ 
the  eating-clubs,  and  the  faculty  maintained  peace  and 
decorum  in  spite  of  one  or  two  serious  outbreaks.     Au 
enthusiastic   military    company   of  over   one  hundred, 
called  the  "  Nassau  Cadets,"  was  organized  among  the 
undergraduates  and  added  to  the  general  excitement  by 
its  daily  drill.    It  never  saw  service  as  a  company.    The 
fall  of  Richmond  was  celebrated  on  the  campus  with  a 
solemnity  not  usual  in  Princeton  celebrations.     On  the 
assassination  of  Lincoln,  the  chapel  and  the  two  Halls 
were   draped   in   mourning   and   the    college   bell   was 
tolled.    Party  lines  were  obliterated  and  the  whole  Col- 
lege marched  to  the  Junction  to  see  the  funeral  train  go 
by  early  in  the  morning  of  April  24,  1865.    The  degree 
of  LL.D.  had  been  conferred  in  absentia  on  Ur.  Lincoln 
in  the  preceding  year.    Princeton  has  never  regained  her 
Southern  clientele,  but  the  ancient  affiliation  cannot  be 
forgotten  as  long  as  her  catalogue  of  graduates  and 
former  students  contains  its  roll  of  noble  names  from  be- 
low Mason  and  Dixon's  line. 

With  the  close  of  the  War  Dr.  Maclean  felt  that  his 
days  of  labor  were  over,  and  in  1868  he  resigned  the 
presidency.  He  had  been  a  member  of  the  faculty  since 
1818.  When  he  became  president  he  had  already  given 
the  best  period  of  his  life  to  the  institution,  and  he  was 


\\.i 


WORK  OF  MACLEAN 


1G3 


eleotod  twenty  years  too  late  to  be  expected  to  Jo  much 
more  than  keep  the;  College  within  the  lines  he  himself 
had  largely  shaped. 

His  influence  on  the  course  of  study  is  likewise  not 
to  be  sought  alone  in  his  administration.  Only  three 
new  professorships — that  of  geology  and  physical  geog- 
raphy, that  of  metaphysics  and  moral  philosophy,  and 
that  of  harmony  of  science  and  revealed  religion — were 
inaugurated  during  his  term  of  office.  He  did  not 
broaden  the  curriculum  in  any  very  marked  degree.  But 
he  introduced  a  number  of  minor  improvements,  chiefly 
by  relegating  disciplinary  studies  more  and  more  into  the 
lower-class  years  and  by  strengthening  the  junior  year, 
so  that  the  progressive  steps  taken  by  his  successor  were 
made  so  much  the  easier.  The  changes  in  the  curriculum 
instituted  during  Dr.  Carnahan's  long  administration,  as 
for  instance  the  permanent  introduction  of  modern  lan- 
guages, were  as  much  the  work  of  the  vice-president  as  of 
the  president. 

This  period  saw  the  entrance  into  the  faculty  of  a 
group  of  teachers,  all  graduates  of  the  College  and  all 
clergymen  but  one,  who  were  to  serve  the  College  for 
terms  of  extraordinary  length — George  M.  Giger  (1841), 
for  twenty  years;  Henry  C.  Cameron  (1847),  for  an 
even  fifty  years ;  John  T.  Duffield  ( 1841 ) ,  for  over  half  a 
century;  Charles  W.  Shields  (1844),  for  nearly  forty 
years,  and  the  layman  John  S.  Schanck  (1840),  for 
forty-five  years. 

Dr.  Maclean  did  not  win  fame  as  a  scholar,  but  he  won 
the  love  of  generation  after  generation  of  undergradu- 
ates. They  made  fun  of  his  goloshes,  his  gleaming  spec- 
tacles, his  lantern,  and  his  cloak;  they  claimed  that 
during  his  long  and  strenuous  years  as  vice-president  he 
had  worn  a  trail  across  the  campus  between  his  house 


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1G4     PRINCETON  BEFORE.  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

and  Dr.  Carnahan's;  thoy  laughed  at  him  when,  as  presi- 
dent, but  less  agile  than  formerly,  he  still  pursued  them 
into  their  rooms— as  vice-president  he  had  been  known 
to  pursue  them  up  into  the  trees  of  the  campus;  but 
they  remembered  him  lovingly  long  after  they  left  the 
scene  of  their  college  escapades. 

"  Those  who  remember  Dr.  Maclean  only  in  his  later 
years,"  writes  Dr.  DeWitt,^  "  will  have  difficulty  in 
bringing  before  them  the  man  who  as  Vice-President 
shared  with  Dr.  Carnahan  the  duty  of  determining  the 
general  policy  of  the  College ;  and  of  taking  the  initia- 
tive in  the  election  of  Professors,   ...   in  founding 
new  chairs,  in  enlarging  the  number  of  students,  and  in 
settling  the  principles  of  College  discipline."    He  had 
been  a  man  with  mentality  enough  to  have  become  emi- 
nent, but,  refusing  flattering  calls  elsewhere,  he  chose 
as  his  life-work  the  day-to-day  service  of  his  alma  mater, 
and  to  him  Princeton  probably  owes  her  continued  exist- 
ence.   After  his  retirement  he  resided  in  Princeton  until 
his  death  in  1886,  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  new  ad- 
ministration, welcoming  all  the  wonderful  changes  and 
growth  he  saw  going  on  about  him.    He  left  the  institu- 
tion as  he  had  found  it,  a  small  but  respectable  American 
college,  but  in  an  infinitely  better  financial  condition 
than  at  any  previous  period.    Under  President  Carna- 
han's and  his  own  rule  it  passed  through  the  so-called 
"  theological  "  period.    It  needed  a  new  force  to  give  it 
self-possession  and  confidence  for  expansion.    The  man 
who  was  to  bring  this  new  strength  had  just  visited 
Princeton,  all  unsuspecting  what  fate  had  in  store  for 
him. 

»  Preshy.  and  Ref.  Rev.,  October,  1897,  p.  647. 


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A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 

College  Laws.  Chapel.  Refectory.  The  Halls.  Eighteenth 
Century  Princeton iana.  Commencement.  Fourth  of  July.  Hors- 
ing. Colkgo  Customs.  College  Colors  and  Cheer.  Athletics. 
Religious  Life.     Early  Nineteenth  Century  Princetonians. 

The  material  and  intellectual  transformation  wrought 
by  the  administration  which  succeeded  Dr.  Maclean's 
was  necessarily  accompanied  by  a  corresponding  change 
in  college  life.  Discarding  long-standing  pettinesses  of 
discipline,  the  new  dispensation  stamped  out  immemorial 
disorders  and  by  swift  degrees  swept  away  most  of  the 
old  simplicity  and  inadequacies ;  college  life  suddenly  be- 
came maturer.  The  present  is  thus  a  favorable  point 
from  which  to  survey  college  laws  and  customs  during  the 
first  century  of  Princeton's  existence. 

Some  account  of  undergraduate  life  at  Newark  has 
been  given  in  an  earlier  chapter.  When  the  College  moved 
from  Newark  to  Princeton  in  1757  the  new  conditions  de- 
manded additional  regulations.  At  once  began  the  sys- 
tem of  espionage  which  lasted  for  more  than  a  century, 
and  which  in  the  long  run  defeated  its  own  ends.  Tutors 
made  the  rounds  of  Nassau  Hall  at  least  three  times  a 
day  to  "  direct  and  encourage  "  the  students,  and  to 
see  that  they  were  "  diligent  at  their  proper  Business," 
making  their  presence  known  at  a  closed  door  "  by  a 
stamp,  which  signal,"  says  the  law,  "  no  scholar  shall 
imitate  on  penalty  of  5/."  If  the  occupant  of  the 
room  refused  to  open  the  door  the  officer  had  the  right 

105 


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1. 


166 


A  CEXTLRY  OP  COLLEGE  LIFE 


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to  broali  his  way  in.'  Cutting,  marking,  or  otlKrwise  de- 
facing the  new  building  rendered  one  liable  to  four-1'old 
payment  of  the  actual  damage.  Each  piece  of  furniture 
in  a  room  was  numbered  to  correspond  with  the  room,  and 
to  remove  any  marked  article  was  a  serious  offense.  To 
"  prevent  soiling  the  Floors  "  each  student  was  retiuired 
to  "  clean  his  Shoes  "  on  entering  Nassau  Hall,  and  to 
keep  his  room  "  neat  and  ekau  ";  and  public  health 
and  general  decency  formulated  a  sanitary  rule  against 
committing  nuisances  which  may  be  left  solitary  in  its 
original  and  conspicuous  Latin. 

Four  shillings  per  ([uarter  was  charged  for  making 
beds  and  sweeping  rooms,  and  an  extra  shilling  was  col- 
lected from  those  who  smoked  or  chewed  tobacco.  Stu- 
dents were  forbidden  to  make  or  to  read  publicly  any 
"  pointed  declamations  which  might  tend  to  injure  or 
expose  the  character  of  any  person."  No  one  living  in 
Nassau  Hall,  not  even  a  graduate  student,  was  allowed 
to  "  make  an  entertainment  or  treat  in  the  college,  at 
the  public  examinations,  commencement,  or  at  any  time 
whatever."  And  in  1758  the  freshman  class  having 
filed  a  petition  for  the  removal  of  their  tutor  for  incom- 
petence, a  rule  was  passed  forbidding  presentation  to  the 
board  of  trustees  of  any  petition  or  complaint  against  a 
tutor  without  the  previous  permission  of  the  president  or 
three  trustees. 

Not  later  than  1760  a  code  of  "  Orders  and  Customs  " 

was  drawn  up,  hardly  different  in  spirit,  or  indeed  in 

phraseology  here  and  there,  from  the  code  already  in  use 

at  Harvard  and  subsequently  at  Yale,  except  that  the 

Princeton  rales,  with  one  exception,  seem  to  have  been 

'  In  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century  it  became  common 
to  have  double  doors  to  rooms  in  Nassau  Hall,  a  device  which 
proved  extremely  useful  in  delaying  inspection  and  in  giving 
occupants  time  to  hidf  evidences  of  law-breaking. 


\>A 


COLLEGE  LAWS 


167 


intended  for  grammar  scholars  and  undergraduatos 
.ilikc.  and  not  for  fresh  men  only  as  was  the  ease  with  the 
New  England  college  rules.  The  exception  sot  forth  that 
"  Every  Freshman  sent  on  an  Errand  shall  go  and  do 
it  faithfully  and  make  quick  return."  The  code  was 
made  an  iippendix  to  President  Burr's  "  Newark  Latin 
Grammar,"  of  which  a  new  edition  was  issued  by  the 
tru.stoes  for  use  at  Princeton.  The  majority  of  the  rules 
in  this  code  concern  deportment,  and  demand  constant 
deference  to  superiors.  Students  are  to  keep  their  hats 
off  "  about  10  rods  to  the  President  and  about  5  to  the 
tutors  ";  they  must  "  rise  up  and  make  obeisance  "when 
the  president  enters  or  leaves  the  prayer-hall,  and  when 
lie  mounts  into  the  pulpit  on  Sundays.  When  walking 
with  a  superior,  an  inferior  "  shall  give  him  the  highest 
place."  When  first  coming  into  the  presence  of  a  su- 
l)erior,  or  speaking  to  him,  inferiors  "  shall  respect  by 
pulling  their  Hats";  if  overtaking  or  meeting  a  su- 
perior on  the  stairs,  "  shall  stop,  giving  him  the  banister 
•side  ' ' ;  when  entering  a  superior 's, ' '  or  even  an  equal 's, ' ' 
room  they  must  knock;  if  called  or  spoken  to  by  a 
.superior  they  must  * '  give  a  direct  pertinent  answer  con- 
cluding with  sir  ";  they  are  to  treat  strangers  and 
townspeople  "  with  all  proper  complaisance  &  good  man- 
ners ' ' ;  and  they  are  forbidden  to  address  anyone  by  a 
nickname. 

That  the  longitudinal  brick-paved  corridors  in  Nassau 
Hall,  or  "  entries  "  as  they  w^ere  called,  invited  noisy 
behavior  because  of  their  length  and  darkness,  was  at 
once  recognized  by  the  authorities,  and  one  of  the  first 
rules  passed  at  Princeton — a  rule  which  remained  on 
the  books  for  over  a  century  in  almost  identical  wording 
and  whose  purport  at  least  was  preserved  in  a  college  law 
as  late  as  1902, — declared  that  "  No  jumping  or  hoi- 


■1  ^ 


,-,     4 


t    ' 


u 


I    , 


A  I 


KiH  A  CKNTl'RY  OF  COLLK(iK  LIFK 

lowing;  or  any  boisterous  Noisf  shall  \w  sufTt  red,  nor 
wallnuf?  in  tlio  galli'iy  in  the  tinu'  of  Study."    The  basc- 
mont  "  entry  "  beeaino  a  favorite  place  for  hoop-roUinj? 
by  the  fjraininar  scholars  ami  for  battledore  and  shuttle- 
cock  anions  older  boys;   in   the  upper  entries   rollinR 
heated  cannon-balls,  to  tempt  zi'alous  but  unwary  tutors, 
was  a  perennial  joy,  and  at  a  later  epoch  there  nre  allu- 
sions to  wild  scenes,  when  a  jackass  or  a  calf  was  dragged 
rcbelliously  up  the  narrow  iron  staircases  to  be  pitted  in 
frenzied  races  with  the  model  locomotive  purloined  from 
the  college  museum.     On  these  occasions  candles  would 
be  stuck  against  the  walls  with  handfuls  of  mud.    These 
upper  regions,  access  to  which  was  easily  blocked  with 
cord-wood  and  other  barricade  material,  were  inevitably 
associated  with  riots  and  barrings  out.*     The  }iassau 
Literary  Magazine  filed  a  mild  protest  when  the  "  en- 
tries "  were  cut  up  by  the  present  transverse  walls  on  the 
rebuilding  after  the  fire  of  1855 ;  the  knoll  of  many  a 
time-honored  but  illegitimate  indoor  sport  was  sounded 
by  that  iconoclastic  alteration. 

Frequenting  places  of  public  refreshment  had  been  on 
the  list  of  deadly  sins  at  Newark.  At  Princeton  the  laws 
of  1794  forbade  the  visiting  of  "  a  tavern,  beer  house,  or 
any  place  of  such  kind,"  and  the  additional  restrictions 
imposed  after  the  fire  of  1802  have  been  already  men- 
tioned. To  counteract  the  service  that  such  resorts  might 
even  reputably  perform  for  hungry  members  of  college 
and  to  keep  undergraduate  expenditures  within  limits, 
a  buttery  had  been  organized  as  early  as  1756,  under 
the  supervision  of  the  steward.  By  1761  the  butler's 
duties  were  carefully  defined.  He  was  to  be  on  duty 
every  day  from  breakfast  time  until  eight  o'clock  and 

'Cf    Edward  Wall    (1848),  "Reminiscences  of  Princeton  Col- 
lege,"  Princeton,  1914,  p.  25,  for  an  account  nf  the  last  barrmg-ont. 


'<  <;; 


to 


BUTTERY 


1G9 


hctweon  twolvc  and  two,  anH  from  five  until  sunset  in 
N[tring  and  summer  and  from  five  until  curfew  in 
autumn  and  winter,  and  he  was  forbidden  to  sell  goods 
to  students  at  any  other  hours.  lie  was  to  "  take  care 
to  siTve  every  one  in  his  turn,  and  it  is  recommended  to 
those  of  infer""  standing  as  a  piece  oi!  good  breeding  in  a 
treneral  way  To  give  place  to  superiors."  Hy  a  rule  of 
176;},  if  a  student  were  too  ill  to  go  to  his  meals  his 
requisitions  on  the  butler,  when  authorized  by  a  college 
ofTicer,  were  honored  without  charge.  Personal  accounts 
wore  examined  by  the  steward  once  a  month  and  the 
riac  in  undergraduate  expenditures  led  to  the  adoption  of 
a  rule  in  1764  that  no  student  or  grammar  scholar  "  be 
supplied  out  of  the  Butterj'  with  more  than  to  the 
amount  of  32/-  in  a  quarter  of  a  year  as  that  sum  is 
found  by  a  large  calculation  suflRcient  for  a  genteel  and 
plentiful  supply  of  such  things  as  are  ordinarily  ne«^ded 
from  thence.  And  in  particular  it  is  ordered  that  no 
one  shall  have  more  than  half  a  pound  of  butter  at  any 
one  time."  Whatever  staples  the  buttery  may  have  car- 
ried originally — and  they  are  nowhere  listed — it  was 
definitely  ordered  by  the  trustees  in  1765  that  "  here- 
after no  other  articles  whatsoever  be  kept  in  the  buttery 
and  sold  to  the  students,  save  only  bread,  butter,  candles 
and  small  beer."  How  bng  the  buttery  was  kept  up 
docs  not  appear.  It  is  not  mentioned  after  the  Revolu- 
tion as  a  college  institution,  although  suggested  by  a  trus- 
tees' committee  in  Dr.  Green's  time  as  a  possible  solution 
of  the  tavern  and  cake-shop  problem. 

An  early  rule  forbids  loitering  about  the  kitchen  fire 
in  Nassau  Hall  as  it  "  interrupts  the  servants."  When 
the  new  kitchen  was  '^rccted  in  1762  outside  Nassau 
Hall  students  were  absolutely  forbidden  to  enter  its 
doors,  and  "  to  their  making  Tea  in  the  after  noon  "  it 


tn 


*  1 

U  ' 


i    I    i 


,j,- 


170  A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 

was  ordered  that  they  should  "  have  a  fir>  in  the  old 

kitchen  room." 

To  the  law  of  1794  against  frequenting  taverns  and 
beer-houses  President  Green  added,  in  1819,  the  formi- 
dable dietary  rule  that  no  student  should  "  resort  to  any 
house  or  shop  where  confectionery,  or  other  articles  c: 
diet  or  drink  are  sold,  or  purchase  at  such  house  or 
shop,  or  from  the  proprietor  of  the  same,  any  article 
whatever,  unless  the  faculty  of  the  college  shall  have 
publicly  signified  to  the  students  that  such  house  or 
shop  may  be  resorted  to  for  the  purchase  of  the  articles 
contemplated— which  articles  the  faculty  may  specify  if 
they  judge  it  expedient."    In  brief  course  of  time  this 
rule,  crushed  by  its  own  weight,  became  a  dead  letter. 
If  convicted  of  possessing  an  indecent  picture  or  any 
"  lascivious,  impious  or  irreligious  book,"  or  of  "  lying, 
profaneness,  drunkenness,  theft,  uncleanness,  playing  at 
unlawful  games  "—(subsequently  defined  as  cards,  dice, 
and  backgammon)—"  or  other  gross  immoralities,"  the 
student  was  to  be  punished  either  by  admonition,  public 
reproval,  or  expulsion.     Nor  might  a  student  keep  for 
use  or  pleasure ' '  any  horse  or  riding  beast, "  nor  dog,  nor 
gun,  nor  firearms  and  ammunition  of  any  kind.    At  the 
time  of  the  "  Great  Rebellion  "  in  1817  the  list  of  for- 
bidden weapons  was  extended  to  include  "  sword,  dirk, 
sword-cane,  or  any  deadly  weapon  whatever."    Dueling, 
or  sending  a  challenge,  was  forbidden  at  least  as  early  as 
1813  and  the  rule  remained  on  the  books  until  1870. 

Samuel  Blair's  "  Account  of  the  College  of  New  Jer- 
sey," issued  in  1764  by  authority  of  the  board  of 
trustees,  is  the  earliest  official  description  that  we  pos- 
sess of  the  domestic  administration  of  the  College. 
After  a  historical  sketch  the  author  takes  up  the  regula- 
tions of  which  he  assures  us  the  design  has  been  "  to 


if   ''    'i 


EARLY  DISCIPLINE 


171 


fix  upon  a  medium,  between  too  great  a  licentiousness  on 
the  one  hand,  or  an  excessive  precision  on  the  other." 
The  penalties  were  "  generally  of  the  more  humane 
kind,"  and  were  at  once  "  expressive  of  compassion  to 
the  offender,  and  indignation  at  the  offense. ' '  It  should 
he  said  that  compassion  for  parents  of  offenders  had  by 
tliis  time  practically  abolished  the  older  punishment 
Imown  in  official  parlance  as  '  *  pecuniary  mulcts. ' '  Dis- 
cipline was  now  administered  by  reasoning  with  the  of- 
fender, resulting  in  private  reprimand,  or  "  public 
formal  admonition, "  or  "  penitent  confession  in  the  hall 
before  the  whole  house,"  or  deprivation  of  class  privi- 
lefjos,  or  prohibition  from  "  free  conversation  with  his 
fellow-students  and  admission  int-"  their  chambers,"  or 
suspension  until  the  case  could  be  laid  before  the  trustees. 
This  last  was  the  highest  censure  in  the  power  of  the 
faculty,  the  power  of  expulsion  being  vested  in  the  board, 
Colltge  class  distinctions  were  strictly  maintained, 
but  it  is  not  clear  that  any  social  distinctions  were  pre- 
served at  Princeton  as  they  were  elsewhere.  In  each  of 
the  four  classes  students  remained  a  year,  "  giving  and 
receiving  in  their  turns  those  tokens  of  respect  and 
subjection  which  belong  to  their  standings  in  order  to 
preserve  a  due  subordination. ' '  What  these  tokens  were 
Mr.  Blair  does  not  state.  The  bell  rang  for  morning 
prayers  at  six  in  1764, — later  moved  back  to  five, — when 
a  senior  "  read  off  a  chapter  from  the  original  into 
P'inglish."  The  president  then  proposed  a  few  critical 
questions  on  the  passage  and  after  "  concise  answers," 
he  "  illustrated  more  at  large."  There  were  two  recita- 
tions a  day,  and  the  "  times  of  relaxation  from  study  " 
were  about  an  hour  in  the  morning,  two  at  noon,  and 
three  in  the  evening,  meals  being  served  within  these 
periods.     Evening  prayer,  by  1764,  was  opened  with 


-L'  'V:?^iA-^^^^!9r^ZJmM:im 


I  M 


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I 


i    I 


.1,  r  V 

■  1 


172  A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 

singing,  and  care  was  taken  to  "  improve  the  youth  in 
the" art  of  sacred  music,"  although  the  success  of  the 
clfort  was  doubtful.  Mr.  John  Adams  remarked,  ten 
years  later,  that  the  students  sang  as  badly  as  the  Pres- 
byterians of  New  York,  which  (if  Mr.  Adams'  opinion 
is  of  any  value)  would  imply  that  they  had  not  advanced 
far  beyond  the  scriptural  stage  of  making  a  "  joyful 

noise." 

As  a  source  of  friction  compulsory  chapel  was  second 
only  to  compulsory  commons.    The  first  rule  framed  by 
the  authorities  to  brighten  chapel  exercises  had  been 
passed  in  1760,  when  it  was  ordered  that  at  morning 
prayers  a  student  should  read  the  lesson  in  the  original, 
and  that  at   evening  prayer  "  psalmody  "  might  be 
substituted  for  the  lesson.    With  this  ameliorating  reso- 
lution is  indirectly  connected  the  graduation,  in  Sep- 
tember,   1759,    of    James    Lyon,    father    of   American 
hymnology.    An  ode  set  to  music  by  him  and  sung  by 
the  students  had  been  a  feature  of  the  commencement 
programme  of  1759.    In  the  following  spring  subscrip- 
tions were  invited  for  his  "  Urania,"  a  proposed  collec- 
tion of  psalm-tunes  and  anthems,  "and  a  number  of 
Dr.  Watt's  and  Mr.  Addison's  Hymns  set  to  Music,"  with 
the  rules  of  psalmody  prefixed,  a  volume  on  which  he 
had  been  working  while  an  undergraduate.    Of  the  list 
of  one  hundred  and  forty-one  subscribers  one-fourth 
were  officers  and  students  of  the  College,  taking  fifty 
of  the  one  hundred  and  ninety-nine  copies  ordered.    At 
commencement  in  1760,  odes  to  "  Peace  "  and  "  Sci- 
ence "  written  bv  President  Davies  were  sung  by  the 
students.    No  copy  of  the  "  Ode  to  Science  "  seems  to 
have  survived,  but  a  copy  of  the  "  Ode  to  Peace,"  pre- 
served in  the  University  library,  shows  that  Lyon  wrote 
the  music.    In  October,  1760,  psalmody  in  chapel  was 


•  :   . 


'ir 


•  rj  -ii-r¥  I 


•M  m, 


wr*W'^^m^::wfw'''^-' 


MUSIC 


173 


authorized  by  the  trustees,  and  when  the  first  sheets 
of  "  Urania  "  were  issued  in  November  singing  became 
for  the  first  time  a  part  of  chapel  services  at  Prince- 
ton.i 

The  organ  mentioned  elsewhere  was  purchased  by 
subscription  about  this  time.  Music  was  not  confined, 
however,  to  chapel.  One  reads  early  of  flutes,  guitars, 
and  violins  in  Nassau  Hall ;  and  that  there  were  campus 
songs  in  existence  before  the  Revolution  is  proved  by 
certain  manuscripts  of  William  Paterson  of  the  class  of 
1763,  containing  songs  with  titles  such  as  "  Cupid 
Triumphant,"  "  Pauvre  Madelon,"  "  Jersey  Blue,"  and 
*'  Honest  Harry  0."=^ 

Returning  to  Mr.  Blair's  "  Account  " — care  was 
taken,  so  he  tells  us,  to  cherish  a  spirit  of  liberty  and 
free  inquiry ;  and  not  only  ' '  to  permit  but  even  to 
encourage  the  right  of  private  judgment,"  a  statement 
that  must  not  be  accepted  too  literally. 

'  James  Lyon's  part  in  the  introduction  of  music  into  chapel 
exercises  at  Princeton  is  illustrative  of  the  influence  the  colleges 
had  on  the  development  of  colonial  musical  life.  (See  Sonneck, 
"  Francis  Hopkinson  and  James  Lyon,"  Washington,  1905.)  The 
anthem  sung  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  Commencement  in 
1761  was  another  of  Lyon's  compositions,  and  at  Princeton  in 
1762,  when  he  came  up  for  his  master's  degree,  "The  Military 
Glory  of  Great  Britain:  A  Musical  Entertainment,"  was  sung 
by  the  undergraduates,  and  with  little  doubt  may  be  ascribed  to 
him. 

'  See  W.  J.  Mills,  "  Glimpses  of  Colonial  Society,"  Philadelphia, 
1903.  Princeton's  best  known  song.  "Old  Nassau,"  written  by  a 
freshman,  H.  P.  Peck  of  the  class  of  1862,  as  a  priza  poem  in  the 
Nassau  Literary  Magazine  and  published  in  the  issue  of  March, 
1859,  and  for  which  the  music  was  written  by  Mr.  Carl  Langlotz, 
instructor  in  German  in  the  College,  was  first  sung  late  in  1859 
or  early  in  the  spring  of  1860  on  the  appearance  of  the  original 
Princeton  song-book,  "  Songs  of  Old  Nassau,"  edited  by  A.  J. 
Hotrick  of  1860,  and  a  pioneer  of  its  kind.  By  June,  1861,  it  was 
generally  known  and  frequently  sung.  War  songs  then  supplanted 
college  songs,  but  immediatt'ly  after  the  war  "Old  Nassau" 
returned  to  popularity,  although  its  use  as  the  special  Princeton 
hymn  dates  only  from  about  the  middle  eighties. 


1i 


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t      '     ■  t 


174  A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 

In  August  of  their  college  course,  in  presence  of  the 
trustees,  faculty,  and  any  other  "  gentlemen  of  learn- 
ing "  who  cared  to  bo  present,  seniors  underwent  a  pub- 
lie  comprehensive  examination  in  all  the  subjects  they 
had  studied,  and  if  approved  their  parts  in  the  exercises 
of  Commencement  Day  were  assigned  to  them. 

When  he  describes  "  the  manner  and  expense  "  of 
college  commons  Mr.  Blair  admits  that  an  account    i 
the  *'  economy  of  a  kitchen  and  dining  room  "  would 
under  ordinary  ciroumstaneos  be  "  low  and  vulgar,"  but 
he  reminds  his  readers  that  "  proper  regulation  of  these 
matters  is  of  more  consequence  "  to  a  collegiate  com- 
munity "  than  a  thousand  things  that  would  make  a 
more  shining  figure  in  description  " — a  truth  that  was 
only  too  often  forgotten.     The  kitchen,  at  first  in  the 
basement  of  Nassau  Hall,  had  by  1764  been  moved  out- 
side of  the  building  and  the  dining-room  originally  on 
the  first  floor  was  later  also  moved  into  another  ad- 
joining edifice.     The  fare  was  as  liberal  as  the  price 
allowed.    Tea  and  coffee  were  served  at  breakfast — what 
else  is  not  stated.    At  dinner  the  tables  were  graced  by 
"  every  variety  of  fish  and  flesh  "  that  the  markets 
afforded,  "  and  sometimes  pyes."     This  item  was  the 
n'  arest  approach  to  those  "  luxurious  dainties  "  and 
"  costly    delicacies  "  which    could    not   be   looked    for 
among  the  "  viands  of  a  college  where  health  and  econ- 
omy are  alone  consulted  in  the  furniture  of  the  table." 
The  general  drink  was  ' '  small  beer  and  cyder  ' '  for  din- 
ner, while  for  supper  milk  was  the  standard  allowance ; 
and  ' '  Some  of  the  young  gentlemen  chuse,  at  times,  and 
are  indulged,  to  make  a  dish  of  tea  in  their  apartments 
provided  it  be  done  after  evening  prayers." 

Rules  governing  conduct  in  the  refectory  were  issued 
in  1759.    Students  might  not  enter  the  dining-room  until 


REFECTORY 


175 


a  tutor  arrived.  When  the  bell  rang  they  were  to  go 
"  peaceably  to  the  door  of  the  dining  room  "  and,  ar- 
ranging themselves  in  classes,  wait  "  for  five  minutes  if 
necessary,"  for  a  tutor.  No  meal  began  and  none  ended 
without  a  grace,  and  no  student  might  leave  the  table 
before  the  closing  grace  unless  sent  from  the  room  for 
iiiisbchavior,  nor  might  he  linger  in  the  room  after  the 
tables  had  been  dismissed.  Dinner  was  the  high  meal  and 
carried  with  it  certain  formalities  "to  be  observed  at 
other  meals  also,  so  far  as  circumstances  will  admit." 
i']ach  class  had  its  own  table,  and  students  were  forbid- 
den to  wander  from  one  table  to  another.  A  tutor,  and 
sometimes  the  president  himself,  presided  at  the  high 
table  where  sat  seniors  and  freshmen.  Sophomores  and 
juniors  sat  at  a  second  table  with  a  tutor  at  its  head; 
while  the  third  table  was  given  to  the  grammar-scholars 
and  was  presided  over  by  the  master  of  the  grammar 
schoul.  The  seating  was  in  alphabetical  order  but  pro- 
gressive, the  seat  of  honor  at  the  tutor's  right  being 
occupied  in  rotation,  strangers  and  resident  graduates, 
liowover,  always  receiving  priority.  Carving  was  done 
l)y  the  student  who  for  the  time  being  sat  highest  and  by 
every  fourth  man  from  him,  the  student  opposite  the 
carver  cutting  bread,  and  he  that  sat  at  a  carver's  right 
being  commissioned  to  "  servo  in  dealing  out  provision." 
P^specially  was  it  enjoined  that  "  none  shall  eagerly 
catch  at  a  share,  but  wait  till  he  is  served  in  his  turn." 
In  course  of  time  the  duty  of  carving  carried  a  certain 
amount  of  privilege,  such  as  laying  aside  a  choice  por- 
tion for  the  carver's  supper.  The  office  became  an  elec- 
tive honor,  and  the  carver's  tidbits  were  pinned  by  a 
fork  to  the  underside  of  the  pine  table,  a  larder  which 
unwritten  law  is  said  to  have  strictly  respected,  stray 
dogs  alone  excepted. 


'  IS. 


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'*  I      ' 


f     / 


176 


A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 


Undergraduate  effort  to  fill  out  the  simple  fare  at 
commons  made  poultry  stealing  an  early  and  frequent 
practice.  Eighteenth-century  records  show  men  expelled 
for  this  heinous  offense;  but  before  the  middle  of  the 
nineteenth  century  illicit  foraging  had  been  placed  on  a 
systematic  basis,  a  colored  man,  who  by  day  assisted 
Professor  Henry  in  his  laboratory,  conducting  at  night 
a  clandestine  and  far  more  remunerative  business  by  hid- 
ing in  overgrown  corners  of  the  unkempt  campus  stuffed 
and  roasted  turkeys  and  pitchers  of  ale  in  exchange  for 
suits  of  discarded  clothing  or  coin  of  the  realm. 

As  has  been  intimated,  most  of  the  clashes  between 
faculty  and  students  were  of  gastronomic  origin,  from 
the  time  of  Jonathan  Baldwin,  the  Princeton  graduate 
and  Revolutionary  worthy  and  first  of  a  long  line  of  pic- 
turesque stewards  of  Nassau  Hall,  down  to  that  of  Henry 
Clow,  Scotchman  by  birth,  baker  by  trade,  poet  by  prefer- 
ence (and  courtesy),  and  sometime  mayor  of  the  borough. 
It  was  Mr.  Baldwin's  image,  molded  in  his  own  butter, 
that  was  hanged  in  the  refectory  one  day  in  1773,  an 
argumentum  ad  homincm  more  suggestive  but  less  dis- 
astrous than  the  favorite  form  of  protest  sixty  years 
later  under  Mr.  Clow's  stewardship,  when  at  a  given 
signal  up  would  go  the  refectory  windows  and,  tutors  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding,  out  would  fly  the  table- 
cloths and  all  that  was  upon  them.    Peter  Elmendorf  of 
1782  wrote  home  that  he  would  "  rather  diet  with  the 
meanest  rank  oi  people  than  with  the  steward  of  the 
College.     I  often  repent  that  I    [ever]   saw  his  face. 
.    .   .  We  eat  rye  bread,  half  dough  and  as  black  as  it 
possibly  can  be,  and  oniony  butter,  and  some  times  dry 
bread  and  thick  coffee  for  breakfast,  a  little  milk  or 
cyder  and  bread,  and  sometimes  meagre  chocolate,  for 
supper,   very  indifferent  dinners,  such  as  lean  tough 


COLLEGE  FARE 


177 


boiled  fresh  beef  with  dry  potatoes;  and  if  this  deserves 
to  be  called  diet  for  mean  ravenous  people  let  it  be  so 
stiled,  and  not  a  table  for  collegians."  An  anonymous 
diarist  of  1786  carefully  notes  days  when  the  fare  was 
more  than  ordinarily  good  or  poor.  "  Return  from 
supper,"  he  writes  one  evening  in  March,  "  after  eat- 
ing very  little,  the  butter  for  a  long  time  past  being  in- 
tolerable, and  the  bread  sour  and  milk  scarcely  to  be 
called  such. ' '  And  on  another  occasion :  ' '  The  lads  all 
fearful  that  something  extraordinary  is  going  to  happen 
soon,  as  we  had  cucumers  today  for  dinner."  He  enjoys 
a  hearty  breakfast  one  morning, ' '  having  good  butter  by 
chance  ";  one  evening  he  has  "  Chocolate  Tea  and 
Bread  and  Butter  for  supper,  for  a  wonder,  but  not  to 
be  continued."  On  another  evening,  at  the  home  of 
Mr.  James  Tod,  teacher  of  French  and  Princeton's  first 
printer,  he  drinks  "  a  dish  of  green  tea  out  of  china 
cups  and  at  an  orderly  table — for  the  first  time  in  four 
months. ' '  And  surely  one  dull  winter  afternoon  proved 
of  blessed  memory,  since  ' '  just  before  Prayers  the  apple- 
man  brings  in  Eggs  &  forces  a  dozen  on  me  To  make  egg 
nogg,  for  tis  a  glorious  liquor,  he  says." 

On  New  Year's  Day  and  on  the  Fourth  of  July  the 
steward  seems  to  have  usually  made  especial  effort  to 
prepare  an  appropriate  menu.  The  occasion  was  some- 
what marred  on  January  1,  1814,  by  a  blunder  on  the 
part  of  President  Green:  "  Today  to  refresh  us  after 
our  labours,"  writes  James  M.  Garnett,  "  we  had  a 
great  dinner,  composed  of  Pigs,  Geese,  Irish  potatoes, 
minced-pies,  hickory  nuts,  cider,  &  wine.  The  President 
did  us  the  honour  to  dine  with  us,  and  gave  us  a  toast ; 
when  he  rose  to  give  it  he  commanded  silence  which 
want  of  politeness  gave  such  offence  to  some  of  our  well- 
bred  companj'   that   they  returned   the  toast   with  a 


■  '.     *      i! 


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tr:v5i.- 


4  "I      w^ipp  I  J 


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178  A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 

scrape  "—that  is,  with  the  time-honored  college  mark  of 
disapproval,  by  shuffling  their  feet. 

Cups  and  saucers  and  glasses  did  not  appear  in  the 
refectory  until  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
their  place   being  filled   by   small   white  bowls,    while 
spoons  were  of  pewter  and  knives  and  forks  were  of  tin. 
Philip  Fithian,  entering  college  in  1770,  considered 
the  rules  "  exceedingly  well  formed  to  check  &  restrain 
the  vicious,  &  to  assist  the  studious,  &  to  countenance 
&  incourage  the  virtuous,"  and  he  tells  his  father  the 
daily  schedule.     The  rising  bell  rang  at  five,  and  lest 
any  student  should  claim  he  did  not  hear,  the  college 
servant  "  goes  to  every  Door  &  beats  till  he  wakens  the 
boys,  which  leaves  them   without  Excuse."     In  later 
years  a  horn,  that  sounded  on  dark  winter  mornings  like 
the  last  trump,  was  blown  in  each  entry,  taking  the  place 
of  the  rising-bell.     Roll-call  and  prayers  were  at  five- 
thirty,  after  which  came  an  hour's  study.    Breakfast  was 
served  at  eight,  and  until  nine  the  students  were  at 
liberty.     From  nine  to  one  were  recitation  and  study 
hours;  at  one  the  dinner-bell  rang,  and  until  three  all 
were  again  free.     From  three  to  five  were  study  hour.s 
and  at  five  was  evening  chapel,  after  which  came  liberty 
until  seven  when  supper  was  served.    At  nine  the  cur- 
few rang  and  every  student  had  to  be  found  in  his  room 
when  the  tutors  made  the  rounds.    "  After  nine,"  says 
Fithian, "  any  may  go  to  bod,  but  "—and  ho  notes  public 
opinion— "  to  go  before  is  reproachful."' 

These  arrangements  may  have  cheeked  the  vicious  and 
encouraged  the  virtuous  as  Fithian  thought,  but  some 
years  later,  musing  over  life  at  Nassau  Hall,  he  found  no 
little  pleasure  in  recollecting  "  the  Foibles  "  which 
prevailed  there,  such  as  "  Meeting  &  Shoving  "  in  the 
'■  "  Journal  and  Letters,"  p.  8. 


5       >; 


COLLEGE  "  FOIBLES" 


179 


dark  "entries,"  "  Strowins  the  entries  in  the  Night 
with  greasy  Feathers;  freezing  the  Bell;  Ringing  it  at 
l.ite  Hours  of  the  Night  .  .  .  writing  witty  pointed 
anonymous  Papers,  in  Songs,  Confessions,  Wills,  Solilo- 
quies, Proelamations,  Advertisements  &e.  .  .  .  Picking 
Irom  the  neighborhood  now  and  then  a  plump  fat  Hen 
or  Turkey  for  the  private  Entertainment  of  the  Club 
'  instituted  for  inventing  &  practising  several  new 
kinds  of  mischief  in  a  secret  polite  Manner  ' — parading 
bad  Women— Burning  Curse-John  *— Darting  Sunbeams 
upon  the  Town-People,  Reeonoitering  Houses  in  the 
Town,  &  ogling  Women  with  a  Telescope— Making 
Squibs,  &  other  frightful  compositions  with  Gun- 
Powder,  &  lighting  them  in  the  Rooms  of  timorous 
Boys  &  new  comers  " — a  contemporary  form  of  haz- 
ing, and,  as  Fithian  puts  it,  one  of  the  various  methods 
"  used  in  naturalizing  Strangers." 

Life  in  Nassau  Hall  did  not  vary.  The  diary  of 
John  R.  Buhler  (1846)  records  an  existence  which  was 
identical  with  that  led  by  the  diarist  of  1786.  Both  au- 
thors were  skilled  in  the  art  of  doing  as  little  work  as 
possible;  both  grumbled  at  the  refectory;  both  were 
popular  with  their  fellows.  Thei;  diaries  contain  the 
same  record  of  oversleeping  morning  chapel  or  making  it 
by  an  eleventh-hour  leap  from  bed,  in  1786  at  the  serv- 
ant's knocking,  in  1846  at  the  second  bell,  casting  a 
garment  about  one's  shivering  form,  to  rush  out  in  the 
flai-k  to  roll-call — the  picture  is  completed  in  the  words  of 
the  1786  writer:  "  I  huddle  on  my  clothes  anyxiow  and 
push  into  the  Hall,  all  open  &  unbuttoned,  the'  by  far 

'  The  college  outhouse.  Evidently  a  corruption  of  the  Harvard 
'cu9  John"  or  "  cuz  John,"  used  as  early  as  1734-1735,  and  an 
.nbbreviation  for  "Cousin  John."  (B.  H.  Hall,  "College  Words 
and  Customs,"  revised  ed.,  New  York,  1859,  p,  216.)  Later 
known  at  Princeton  as  "  south  r;;!!!pns." 


"pm*  f  J 


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1 


180 


A  CENTl'RY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 


U 


•  ■      W  > 


the  coldest  morning  of  the  season,  &  escape  being  tardy." 
There  is  the  same  lounging  in  one  another's  rooms,  dodg- 
ing inquisitive  tutors,  the  same  practical  joking  and 
scuffling  in  the  unlightcd  "  entries,"  the  same  frantic 
and  remorseful  cramming  on  the  eve  of  examinations — 
"  aiy  spirits  a  good  deal  sunk  at  the  thought  of  examina- 
tions so  near,"  is  the  despondent  entry  of  the  eighteenth- 
century  youth,  as  he  reviews  up  to  the  last  moment. 
Examinations  in  those  days  being  taken  in  full  dress, 
about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  he  gets  out  his  clothes 
and  arrays  himself,  and  soon  after  "  we  all  march  in  like 
so  many  criminals,  the  Faculty  take  their  seats  formally 
&  we  exteud  in  a  great  circle  round  the  room,  26  of  us. ' ' 
Examinations  at  Princeton  were  entirely  oral  until 
about  1830. 

But  if  study  failed  to  engage  all  of  an  undergraduate's 
serious  attention,  at  least  his  affiliation  with  one  of  the 
two  literary  societies  gave  him  plenty  to  think  about. 
Hall  gossip  and  politics,  with  rebellions,  crackers  and 
barrings-out,  formed  the  chief  excitement  of  college  life 
at  Princeton.    Toward  the  end  of  President  Finley's  ad- 
ministration two  organizations,  partly  literary  and  partly 
social,  had  been  founded  under  the  names  of  the  Well 
Meaning  Club  and  the  Plain  Dealing  Club.     Whatever 
principles  their  names  may  have  stood  for,  the  societies 
soon  got  into  trouble,  and  in  1768  were  suppressed  by 
the  faculty.     In  1769,  under  Witherspoon,  the  Plain 
Dealing  Club  was  reorganized  as  the  American  Whig 
Society,  and  in   1770  the  Well  Meaning  Club,  which 
dated  its  birth  in  1765,  vi^as  reorganized  as  the  Cliosophic 
Society.     Reorganization  under  more   imposing  names 
did  not  abolish  internecine  war.    The  journal  of  Philip 
Fithian,  certain  unpublished  poems  of  Philip  Freneau, 
and    the    correspondence    of    other    eighteenth-century 


^>^.ff; 


wlim' 


>  3py!^Vlg'^:«f* 


tup:  halls 

alumni,  contain  frequent  allusions  to  bitter  rivalry.  The 
Hulls  were  the  only  legal  satcty-valve  that  undergradu- 
ate life  possessed,  and  Hall  affairs  remained  the  one 
constant  topic  of  supreme  interest  for  over  a  century. 
Membership  being  mutually  exclusive,  and  Hall  pro- 
ceedings being  secret,  College  was  divided  into  two  dis- 
tinct camps.  At  one  period  members  of  different  Halls 
never  roomed  together.  Whig  men  occupying  one  lioor 
of  Nassau  Hall  and  Clios  another,  an  extreme  partisan- 
ship which  was  short-lived. 

It  is  difficult  for  the  undergraduate  of  to-day  to  appre- 
ciate the  dominant  position  that  the  Halls  used  to  occupy 
in  the  life  of  the  campus.  Hall  campaigning  during  the 
first  two  or  three  weeks  of  the  fall  term  was,  until  almost 
the  end  of  the  nineteenth  century,  a  far  more  absorbing 
affair  than  even  the  club  "  bickering  "  of  the  present 
time.  Around  the  Halls  centered  the  friendships  and 
closer  intimacies  of  college  life.  Rivalries  for  college 
honors  were  drawn  on  Hall  lines,  and  the  keen  com- 
petition for  commencement  prizes  derived  its  zest  from 
the  same  point  of  view,  each  successful  competitor  at 
commencement  being  greeted  by  the  vociferous  cheers  of 
his  fellow  Hall-members.  The  man  who  was  not  a  mem- 
ber of  one  or  the  other  Hall  was  the  rarest  exception  and 
suffered  a  sort  of  social  ostracism  as  a  man  who  was 
d.'liberately  throwing  away  the  strongest  influence  for 
his  development  that  the  College  offered.  Before  inter- 
collegiate athletics  reached  their  present  state  of  suprem- 
acy, it  was  in  the  life  of  the  Halls  that  a  man  learned 
what  loyalty  to  the  College  meant.  Their  size,  their 
absolute  democracy  and  self-government,  their  ancient 
tradition — no  similar  organizations  in  American  colleges 
have  so  continuous  a  history— the  responsibilities  of  mem- 
bership, tending  to  develop  self-reliance  and  communal 


■*'.■■>! 


1^ 


'•^■r: 


.  ■_t..J>  ^'f !*•;*■  i^,_^ 


■   I'W 


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182  A  CENTURY  OP  COLLEGE  LIKE 

exertion,  the  regular  littrury  truiiiiiif?  tach  man  foUowtd 
in  order  to  ol)tain  the  Hall  diploma,  all  of  these  elements 
made  the  Halls  an  important   part  of  the  intellectual 
life  of  the  College  and  at  the  same  time  kept  them  from 
descending  in  any  ignoble  way  into  the  arena  of  college 
politics,  characteristics  which  they  have  maintained  in 
spite  of  the  complexity  of  modern  conditions  and  the 
consequent  diminution  of  their  relative  predominance. 
Of  almost  equal  importance  with  their  social  life  and 
their  forensic  training  was  the  opportunity  they  pro- 
vided in  the  earlier  days— or  until  the  founding  of  the 
Nassau  Literary  Magazine  in  1842  '—as  the  only  medium 
the  College  offered  for  free  expression  to  those  inclined 
toward  literary  production.    The  political  an<l  forensic 
influence  of  the  Halls  is  easier  to  indicate  than  their 
literary  intluence;  but,  if  one  of  the  centers  where  the 
beginnings  of  American  literature  are  to  be  found  was 
situated  in  the  Middle  Colonies,  and  was  stimulated  by 
the  intluence  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey  under  Wither- 
spoon,2  tiien  the  Cliosophic  and  American  Whig  socie- 
ties may  claim  a  share  in  those  beginnings.    During  the 
Revolution,  well  at  the  front  if  not  at  the  very  head  of 
the  political  satirists,  stood,  for  example.  Philip  Freneau 
whose  pen  had  been  sharpened  in  Whig  Hall  by  "  paper 
contentions,"  but  who  had  also  written  plenty  of  serious 
verse.     His  classmate,  Hugh  H.  Brackenridge,  also  a 
Whig,  was  more  ambitious  though  not  more  effective  in 

'Antecedent  to  the  "Lit"  were  the  Thintle  of  18.34,  the 
Chameleon  of  18.35,  the  Tatler  and  its  travesty,  the  Rattler,  all 
satirical  and  humorous.  A  seriously  lit.rary  publication  was  the 
Oem  from  Nassau's  Casket  issued  in  1840.  Too  brittle  to  last, 
it  was  replaced  in  Fubruary.  1S42,  by  tlie  Xassnu  Monthh/.  wIikIi 
as  the  Nassau  Literary  Magazine,  has  remained  the  organ  of 
undergraduate  literary  endeavor.  „      ,   i..      » 

'  M.  C.  Tyler,  "  Literary  History  of  the  American  Revolution, 
Vol.  1,  p.  n. 


M 


rx^. 


yK%a[r"_.ir.^' 


POKTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 


183 


his  "  UuttU'  of  Hunker  Hill  "  and  liLs  "  Ucith  of  Mont- 
Komi'iy  ut  the  Sicfjo  of  Quel)ec,"  drumatio  poems  pub- 
lisluil  in  1776  uml  1777  respectively,  und  wr.tten  to  in- 
spire Anierieau  patriotism.     It  will  be  r.incmbered  that 
Hrackenridge  later  became  editor  of  the  Unital  States 
Miujazinc  and  one  of  the  earliest  of  American  novelists. 
II.'  too  had  given  indication  of  his  literary  bent  as  an 
umlcrgraduate,  and  at  commencement  in  1771  had  joined 
Freneau  in  the  authorshi])  of  a  curiously  prophetic  piece 
of  writing,  a  poetical  dialogue  called  "  The  Rising  Glorv 
of  America."     The  Revolution  stirred  several  earlier 
I'rincetonians  to  verse.    For  instance,  Benjamin  Young 
I'rime  of  1751,  ancestor  of  a  long  line  of  literary  de- 
scendants, had  already  abandoned  medicine  for  letters, 
:iud  his  patriotic  songs  are  said  to  have  been  scattered 
llirough  the  colonies,  one  in  particular,  a  poem  on  the 
Stamp  Act  called  "  A  S..       ior  the  Sons  of  Liberty  in 
New  York,"  being  extensi.ely  used.     Wheeler  Case  of 
1755,  a  preacher  who  dabbled  in  verst",  published  in  1778 
a  volume  of  "Poems"  concerned  with  the  cause  of 
liberty,  which  was  republished  in  1852.    "  The  Ameri- 
can Hero,"  an  ode,  written  after  Bunker  Hill  by  Na- 
tlianiel  Niles  of  1766  and  set  to  music,  was  sung  every- 
where in  the  churches,  proving  itself,  so  Professor  Tyler 
would  have  us  believe,  a  true  lyric  of  fortitude  and 
pt'ace  through  those  troubled  years.     The  legion  of  ser- 
!iions  uttered  by  preachers  who  went  out  from  Nassau 
Hall  may  hardly  be  counted  as  literature;  of  most  of 
ihcin  the  kindliest  criticism  is  to  quote  the  tombstone 
"'(.mment  on  the  preaching  of  Samuel  Clarke  (1751)— it 
was  "  excellent,  laborious  and  pathetic."     But  if  the 
literary  4uality  of  these  sermons  is  not  above  the  aver- 
afire,  the  persuasive  oratory  shown  by  patriot  preaeheig 
liko  Samuel  Spring  (1771),  Israel  Evans  and  Andrew 


I 


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I  '■  Pi 
fi 

13 


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184  A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 

Hunter  of  1772,  and  Jtimcs  F.  Armstrong  (1773),  to 
name  only  some  of  the  younger  Revolutionary  chaplains, 
must  have  been  of  no  mean  order,  and  these  men,  with 
a  dozen  others  like  them,  received  their  training  in  public 
speaking  on  the  rorjtrum  of  the  College  prayer-hall  and 
in  the  less  formal  surroundings  of  the  Cliosophic  and 
American  Whig  societies. 

Roughly  speaking,  Prineetonians  before  Wither- 
spoon's  time  had  followed  principally  ministerial  and 
teaching  careers,  while  the  men  who  left  Princeton  in  his 
day  entered  chiefly  educational,  legal,  and  political 
careers.  To  the  earlier  period  nevertheless  must  be 
credited  lawyers  of  the  type  of  Governor  Alexander  Mar- 
tin (1756)  of  North  Carolina,  United  States  Senator  and 
member  of  the  Federal  Convention,  and  the  two  chief 
justices  of  Connecticut,  Jesse  Root  (1756)  and  Tapping 
Reeve  (1763),  although  the  latter 's  celebrated  law  school 
at  Litchfield,  the  first  law  school  in  America,  would 
entitle  him  to  more  than  mere  mention  as  a  teacher. 
Here  also  belong  William  Paterson  (1763),  future  gov- 
ernor of  New  Jersey  and  justice  of  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court,  whose  presence  in  the  Federal  Conven- 
tion instantly  recalls  that  of  Chief  Justice  Oliver  Ells 
worth  of  the  class  of  1766. 

Among  the  teachers  in  the  early  period  are  John  Ewing 
of  175-4,  first  provost  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
after  its  reorganization,  James  Manning  (1762),  and 
David  Howell  (1766),  a  leader  of  the  Rhode  Island  bar, 
but  inseparably  linked  with  Dr.  Manning  in  the  begin- 
nings of  Brown  University,  even  as  Theodore  Romeyn 
and  the  younger  Jonathan  Edwards,  both  of  1765,  were 
associated  with  the  beginnings  of  T^nion  College.  Samuel 
Kirkland   (1765)  with  Hamilton  College,  Joseph  Alex- 


'Wf^^ 


EIGIITEENTII-CENTURY  GRADUATES     185 

ander  (1760)  with  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  and 
Benjamin  Rush  (1760)  with  Dickinson— all  of  them  cither 
founders  or  first  presidents.    To  the  prc-Rcvolutionary 
period  also  belong  the  surgeons  Benjamin  Rush  (1760), 
the  third  of  Princeton's  signers  of  the  declaration  of  in- 
d.'poudcnec,  John   Bcatty   (1769)    and  David  Ramsay 
(1765)    better  known  as  a  historian;  and  with  their 
names,  in  the  medical  history  of  this  country  and  of  the 
Revolutionary  War  should  be  mentioned  those  of  Wil- 
liam Burnet  of  1749,  and  William  Shippen  of  1754, 
founder  of  the  first  medical  college  in  America,  and 
John  V.  B.  Tennent  of  1758  and  James  Smith  of  1757, 
founders  of  the  second.    In  the  first  class  to  go  out  from 
Nassau  Hall  (1757)  was  Joseph  Reed's  erratic  classmate 
Stephen  Sayre,  the  knight  errant  who  rose  from  a  city 
clerkship  to  be  an  Oxford  Street  banker  and  finally  to 
Mt>ar  the  scarlet  robe  and  golden  chain  of  the  High 
Sheriff  of  London.    Here  and  there  one  meets  a  stray 
soul  born  out  of  season  like  Samuel  Greville,  one  of 
America's  early  actors;  or  comes  across  a  jarring  note 
like  the  scornful  presence  of  John  Randolph  of  Roanoke. 
All  in  all,  the  laymen  of  the  early  period  outranked  the 
(lerical    graduates.     There    were    devoted    pastors    in 
plenty,  but  few  theologians. 

It  has  been  claimed  that  eighteenth-century  Prince- 
fonians  to  a  man  fell  in  with  the  patriot  side  during  the 
Revolution,  and  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  add  that  the 
flaim  lacks  confirmation.  The  New  Jersey  Loyalist 
Volunteers,  for  instance,  were  officered  in  part  by 
Princetonians.  David  Matthews  of  1754,  loyalist  mayor 
of  New  York,  ultimately  became  a  refugee  to  Nova 
Scotia,  where  he  filled  positions  of  honor  and  respon- 
sibility; and  Isaac  Allen  of  1762,  as  a  refugee  to  the 
province  of  New  Brunswick,  where  he  became  a  iudeo  of 


'  ' 


i 


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186 


A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 


the  Supreme  Court,  may  have  compared  notes  with  an- 
other refugee,  IMayor  Matthews'  classmate  the  Reverend 
Dr.  Jonathan  Odell,  jovial  rector  of  St.  Mar's  at  Bur- 
lington, New  Jersey,  wielder  of  a  vitriolic  pen,  surgeon 
and  chaplain  in  Ilis  Majesty's  army,  and  subsequently 
secretary    of    the    province  where  he  sought    shelter. 
Most  of  the  Princeton  loyalists  belonged  to  the  earlier 
period,  although  even  in  Witherspoon 's  time  undergradu- 
ates are  known  to  have  been  ducked  under  the  college 
pump   for  their  British   sentiments.     But   in   general, 
Princeton  adherents  to  the  Crown,  graduate  or  under- 
graduate, were  submerged  in  the  flocks  of  Nassovians  who 
supported  the  colonial  cause — "  fighting  parsons  "  like 
James   Caldwell    (1759),    vLom  Bret  Harte  helped  to 
immortalize,  or  George  Duffield  (1752),  who  was  with 
the  army  during  the  retreat  across  New  Jersey  in  1776 
and  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Princeton,  and  Samuel 
McClintock   (1751).  who  had  been  a  chaplain  in  the 
French  and  Indian  War  and  was  at  Bunker  Hill,  and 
who  sent  five  sons  into  the  American  army,  throe  of 
them  to  lose  their  lives;  or  lofty-minded  heroes  like  €Tohn 
Macpherson  (1766),  Montgomery's  aide  at  Quebec,  where 
he  fell  with  his  chief  and  shared  the  last  railitarj'  honors 
paid  by  an  admiring  garrison  to  gallant  foemen;  or 
soldiers   of   Witherspoon 's   molding   like   his   own  son 
James,  of  1770,  killed  at  Germantown,  or  William  R. 
Davie  and  Jonathan  Dayton,  of  1776,  and  the  great  trio 
— the  "  three  guardsmen  "  as  it  were — from  the  class  of 
1773,  Aaron  Ogden  of  New  Jersey,  Morgan  Lewis  of 
New  York,  and  "  Light  Horse  Harry  "  Lee   of  Vir- 
ginia. 

The  closing  years  of  t!.i'  eighteenth  century  saw  an  in- 
teresting group  of  reading  men  in  Nassau  Hall  center- 
ing around  John  H.  Hobart  (1793),  who  was  to  be  the 


fi^, 


'■■♦*/;  7'E»t^ 


.Ifi-M  T  I 


IIOBART  AND  HIS  GROUP 


187 


second  of  the  five »  early  American  Protestant  Episcopal 
bishops  graduated   from  Princeton.     Among  Hobart's 
friends  in  College  were  Henry  Kolloek  (1794),  the  bril- 
liant divine;  Peter  Early  (1792)  and  George  M.  Troup 
(1797),  governors  of  Georgia;  John  M.  Berrien  (1796), 
.'ittorney  general  of  the  United  States;  John  Sergeant 
(1795)  and  William  Gaston  (1796),  distinguished  legis- 
lators; Richard  Rush   (1797),  financier,  diplomat,  and 
thrice  a  cabinet  officer ;  the  surgeons  John  C.  Otto  (1792) 
and    James    Rush    (1795),    and    especially    Frederick 
Bcasley  (1797),  Provost  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  his  classmate  Charles  F.  Mercer  (1797),  sol- 
dier and  legislator.    ' '  It  has  not  been  my  fortune, ' '  wrote 
Preside   .  Smith  to  Hobart  long  after,  "  to  meet  with 
those  who  were  more  amiable;  nor  have  others  more 
estimable  in  literature  or  religion  fallen  in  my  way." 
There  arc  letters  in  the  IIobart-Mercer  correspondence 
revealing  a  passionate  love  of  Princeton  not  commonly 
credited  to  graduates  of  that  era.^    But  Hobart  and  his 
studious  set  were  by  no  means  the  only  types  in  College 
at  the  end  of  the  century.     At  this  tim'e  in  residence 
v.as    the    conspicuous    figure    of    Washington's    ward, 
George  W.  P.  Custis,  who  seems  to  have  found  life  in 
Nassau  Hall  parti<  ularly  vexing.    And  Wansey,  in  his 
"  Journal,"  tells  of  dining  at  a  Princeton  tavern  with  a 
collegian   whose    conversation,   he   declares,    was   quite 
"  Oxonian  "  in  flavor — "  Bacchus  and  Venus  were  his 
only  topic.  "3 
So  far  as  records  go,  the  worship  paid  at  Princeton  to 

'  Claggct  (1764),  Hobart  (179.3),  Meade  (1808),  Jonni  (1815). 
Mcllvaine  (1816). 

-  Archives  of  the  General  Convention.  Hobart  CorresDondence. 
Vnl.  Ill,  p.  224,  et  scq.  ^ 

'  Henry  Wansey,  "  .Journal  of  an  e.xcursion  to  the  United 
States."     Salisbury,  1796,  p.  104. 


J 

i 

,  •  \ 

I  hi: 


'U/i  .'1 


I  • 


188 


A  CENTURY  OP  COLLEGE  LIFE 


the   second   of  this  pair  of  perennial   undergraduate 
divinities  was  of  the  most  severely  formal  kind.     Com- 
pared v^'ith  Oxford  the  village  of  Princeton  afforded  but 
slender  opportunities  to  cultivate  the  fair  sex.    It  was  a 
hopelessly   far   cry   from    the   doubtful   attractions   of 
Paradise  Garden  at  Oxford  to  the  virtuous  innocence  of 
Jugtown  at  Princeton,  or  from  ^lagdalen  Grove  and 
Merton  Walks  (which  had  to  he  closed)   to  Morgan's 
quarry  and  the  Battlefield ;  and  these,  with  the  ' '  Little 
Triangle,"  offering  the  romantic  possibility  of  meeting 
a  Princeton  belle  on  the  way,  seem  to  have  been  the 
favorite  haunts  of  undergraduate  pedestrians.     To  be 
sure,  in  1772,  William  Paterson  tells  his  chum  John 
Macpherson,  "  We  have  a  number  of  pretty  girls  here 
now,  a  new  race  of  beauties,  Jack,  since  you  left.  .  .   . 
Were  you  here  I  could  give  you  a  description  of  some  of 
the  girls,  and  a  character  o^'  some  of  their  lovers,  and 
private  anecdotes  of  both,  that  would  afford  you  infinite 
amusement    and    diversion.     The    College  always    has 
teemed  with  fools  of  this  sort,  there  were  enough  of  them 
in  all  conscience  when  we  were  in  it,  and  mercy  on  me, 
the  breed  has  increased  surprisingly  of  late."^     And 
scattered  through  eighteenth-century  correspondence  we 
find  well-known  society  names  like  those  of  Betsy  Ran- 
dolph, Nancy  Lawrence.  Rebecca  Redman,  Laura  Lee,  and 
Betsy  kStockton,  the  ' '  Joy  of  Princeton  and  the  Pride, ' ' 
as  Paterson  styled  her ;  but  most  of  these  ladies  were  city 
visitors,  who  flashed  into  undergraduate  existence  for  a 
few  brief  hears'  flirtation  at  college   dances  or  com- 
mencements and  then  went  back  to  more  serious  game. 
The  nineteenth  century,  too,  had  its  village  beauties,  and 
an  ungallant  song  has  celebrated  their  skill  at  defying 
the  passing  years.    ^*nt  the  literature  of  Princeton  belles, 

»  Millii.  "  Glinipsfs,"  p.  94. 


filh 


DRINKING 


189 


unlike  that  of  their  Oxford  sisters,  who  moreover  dwelt 
on  a  very  different  social  plane,  is  almost  non-existent. 
As  for  Bacchus  and  his  cult,  eighteenth-century  records 
do  not  indicate  that  drinking  prevailed  to  any  extreme, 
but  rather  that  Mr.  Wansey's  undergraduate  was  put- 
ting on  airs.  Occasionally  in  the  1786  diary  occur  allu- 
sions to  the  joy  of  "  eating  pies  &  drinking  Wine  "  in 
Nassau  Hall  when  Gilbert  Stiowden,  the  tutor,  was  off 
duty ;  and  once  the  diarist  cumplains  of  a  headache  in- 
duced by  the  porter  he  had  consumed.  But  the  fes- 
tivities he  recorded  were  usually  no  more  iniquitous 
than  the  one  that  followed  an  invitation  to  drink  coffee 
one  night  in  a  classmate's  room,  when  "  about  9  sat  down 
to  2  good  potts  of  it  &  a  fine  Plate  of  toast  &  the  worst 
was  that  there  were  too  many  to  divide  it  among,  how- 
ever [we]  would  have  had  pretty  near  3  dishes  a  piece 
if  we  had  had  dishes  to  drink  it  from— all  [in]  good 
humour  &  all  join  in  singing  several  good  songs  both 
before  &  after  supper,  knowing  Gilbert  was  out  of  Col- 
lege." Compared  with  this  meagre  spread,  a  supper  at 
Trinity  College,  Oxford,  in  1792,  was  an  orgy  with  its 

"  Boiled  fowl,  salt  herrings,  sausages, 
Cold  beef  and  brawn  and  bread  and  cheese 
With  tankards  full  of  ale."  ^ 

The  Princeton  diarist  may  not  have  belonged  to  the 
sporting  set;  but  his  daily  jottings  contain  no  hint  what- 
soever of  excesses  on  the  part  of  others,  full  though  they 
are  of  allusions  to  the  life  of  his  fellow-students.  Later 
on,  the  records  began  to  contain  more  frequent  eases  of 
discipline  for  intoxication,  and  the  legislation  of  the 
closing  years  of  President  Smith's  administration  was 
principally  directed  against  tavern  haunting;  but  even 

'  Christopher  Wordsworth,  "  Socia]^  lift-  at  the  English  Uni- 
versities m  the  cightccuUi  century-,"  Cambriug<-,  1874,  p.  130. 


: 


n 


.Xb. 


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i. 

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190 


A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 


then,  faculty  vigilance  rendered  exceedingly  difficult  of 
achievement  and  hence  comparatively  rare,  at  least  in 
the  early  days,  convivial  scenes  like  those  described  by 
Washington  Irving  and  James  K.  Paulding  in  1807  in 
"  Salmagundi,"  or  in  1813  in  the  "  Lay  of  the  Scotch 
Fiddle."  No  doubt  they  occurred,  especially  at  the 
"  Sign  of  the  College,"  the  mellow  ancient  tavern  where 
Washington  had  been  a  guest,  and  where  Rochambeau 
had  put  np  on  his  way  to  Yorktown,  the  tavern  with  the 

" .    .    .  welcome  door 
That  ne'er  was  shut  against  the  poor. 
Where  lord  Jolinc  his  merry  cheer 
Deals  out  to  all  from  far  and  near. ' ' 

And  in  its  tap-room,  preserving  perhaps  the  tradition 
of  Colonel  Jacob  Hyer  and  Christopher  Beekman,  two 
well-known  Princeton  bonifaees  of  Revolutionary  days, 

"  Around  the  table's  verge  was  spread 
Full  many  a  wine-bewildered  head," 

while  Mr.  Joline  himself  entertained  the  company  with 
a  frankly  unacademic  drinking  song. 

The  Princeton  portions  of  the  "  Lay  "  are  lively 
reading,  but  the  general  prevalent  conditions  are  prob- 
ably more  accurately  suggested  in  a  letter  of  James  M. 
Garnett,  written  in  the  spring  vacation  of  1813.  "  So 
many  students  remain  in  Princeton  that  all  the  boarding 
houses  are  full.  ...  I  can  however  assert  that  I  have 
not  known  of  any  gaming,  drinking,  or  any  kind  of 
dissipation  (except  idleness)  during  the  whole  vaca- 
tion." Everyone  w^as  too  much  afraid  of  the  stern 
figure  in  the  president's  house. 

The  wildest  hilarity  the  Buhler  diary  mentions  is  going 

to  ' '  Anthony 's  "  *  in  winter  and  spring  for  oysters  and 

'  Anthony  Simmons,  a  well-known  and  highly  rc9pect<>d  colored 
caterer. 


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PRINCETON 

ale,  and  in  summer  for  ice  cream  or  a  "  Horace— fine, 
n.t.  and  greasy,"  a  form  of  refreshment  which  has  defied 
identitieation,  but  which  sounds  both  academic  and  sus- 
taining. 

In  most  respects  the  average  eighteenth-century 
Trincetonian  was  as  different  a  person  from  the  average 
Oxonian  of  the  period  as  is  imaginable.  He  was  less 
mature  in  spite  of  his  epistolary  style  and  his  ornate 
lilatform  utterances,,  and  less  interesting  though  not  ap- 
preciably younger.  At  Oxford  the  relation  between  tutor 
and  pupil  was  no  longer  that  of  schoolmaster  and  school- 
boy,i  while  at  Princeton  the  very  presence  of  the  gram- 
mar school  tended  to  accentuate  and  preserve  the 
scholastic  relation.  College  life  at  Princeton  wab  con- 
sciously arranged  on  a  more  youthful  plan;  it  lacked 
as  yet  perspective  and  tradition.  The  College  was  vastly 
smaller;  discipline  and  supervision  were  personal  and 
paternal.  What  little  liberty  the  Princetonian  enjoyed 
he  stole ;  his  every  act  was  watched  and  any  outcropping 
of  the  spirit  of  wine,  women,  and  song  was  anathema 
maranatha. 

While  there  was  not  so  marked  a  difference  between 
the  studies  pursued,  nevertheless  work  was  anproachcd 
at  Oxford  in  an  incomparably  maturer  way  that  had  no 
I)arallel,  so  far  as  we  can  discover,  until  the  college  gen- 
eration of  Ilobart.  The  general  private  reading  done 
at  each  place  was  probably  not  unequal.  The  keener 
students  at  Princeton  found  plenty  of  time  to  read,  and 
most  of  them  did  read.  Charles  Godfrey  Leland  (1845) 
did  little  else,  and  fumed  at  the  orthodoxy  of  Prince- 
ton libraries.  Careless  of  his  college  duties,  Buhler 
devours   his  Scott   and  his  Shakespeare.     In   fact  he 


ill 


a* 


'  A.    D.   Godlcy, 
Hi. 


Oxford   in   the   Eighteenth    Century,"    1908, 


,ww^ 

1  K. 

<f' 

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■   / 

I    i 


I   I 


192 


A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 


finds  that  a  suspension  he  incurred  for  non-attendance 
at  chapel  brings  joyous  compensation,  for  now  he  has 
naught  to  do  save  sleep,  eat,  and  read.  After  all,  ho 
asks,  "  What's  suspended  but  set  free  from  daily  contact 
with  the  things  I  loathe? — 

"  No  more  I  listen,  as  unto  a  Knell, 

To  the  full  clanging  of  the  .Matin  Bell ! 
No  more  doth  Ben  with  cornet's  blast  arouse 
My  angry  spirit  from  its  cosy  Drowse! 
No  more  I  feel  the  curst  idea  sting 
Of  dull  attendance  to  each  College  thing!  " 

It  is  an  interesting  commentary  on  the  time  to  find 
that  undergraduate  loitering  in  the  village  bookshop 
assumed  such  proportions  that  the  proprietor  posted  a 
notice:  "  Gentlemen  will  please  recollect  that  Reading 
Books  &  not  Buying  them,  will  not  pay."  This  eager- 
ness to  see  new  books  may  be  explained  in  part  by  the 
fact  that  the  College  library  made  no  pretense  to  buy 
any.  During  the  decade  1840-1850,  the  period  of  both 
Buhler  and  Leland,  the  library  added  just  1,313  volumes 
to  its  shelves.  And  in  this  connection  the  delight  with 
which,  according  to  all  accounts,  undergraduates  flocked 
to  hear  Albert  B.  Dod  on  architecture  and  William 
Wilberforce  Lord  on  English  literature  is  significant. 
Each  delivered  an  extra-curriculum  course  of  lectures 
and  in  Mr.  Lord's  case  an  admission  fee  was  involved. 
The  curriculum  was  dry  and  to  most  men  uninspiring, 
however  dutifully  they  followed  it.  But  here  were  two 
lecturers  who  spoke  from  the  heart ;  and  their  discourse, 
rhetorical  and  even  rhapsodical  though  it  would  be  con- 
sidered now,  contained  glimpses  of  sunny  regions  lying 
beyond  the  bleak  confines  of  the  course  of  study  that 
stirred  young  imaginations.  It  was  no  wonder  then  that 
thfir  words  fell  on  undergraduate  ears  like  rain  on  a 


ri't 


y'K 


COLLEGE  MANNERS 


193 


thirsty  land.  The  only  curriculum  courses  that  are 
spoken  of  in  anything  like  the  same  fashion  arc  those 
of  Joseph  Henry  and  Stephen  Alexander  when  these 
men  were  in  their  prime.  It  was  the  lack  of  this  sort 
of  stimulus  in  the  curriculum  that  Leland  felt  most 
keenly  at  Princeton.  What  the  curriculum  did  not  give 
him  he  sought  in  his  omnivorous  reading,  in  his  rela- 
tions with  Professors  Dod,  Henry,  and  James  W.  Alex- 
ander, and  in  the  long  night  sessions  over  a  study-fire 
with  pipes  of  Holland  tobacco  and  friends  like  George 
II.  Boker  (1842),  when  the  talk  ran  deep  on  art  and 
poetry  and  old  philosophies.^ 

As  for  undergraduate  behavior  and  manners,  iloreau 
-le  St.  Mery  said,  in  1794,  that,  not  being  brought  up 
ia  American  fashion,  he  found  it  di.fficult  to  praise  the 
conduct  of  the  College.    The  American  system  of  bring- 
ing up  children  by  placing  no  restraints  upon  them  could 
I)roduce  only  a  vicious  order  of  things;  and  the  result 
he  alleges  was  noticeable  at  Princeton,  where  he  was 
told  that  the  students  were  more  occupied  with  gaming 
.'ind  licentious  tendencies  than  with  their  studies.    His 
mformation  as  to  undergraduate  occupation  was  most 
likely  drawn  from  poisoned  sources  and  therefore  not 
trustworthy,  but  it  would  be  idle  to  deny  the  existence 
of  a  rebellious  spirit  among  the  students  of  that  day. 
Ten  years  later  President  Smith  told  William  Paterson 
that  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer  (1808)  was  too  young  and 
volatile  "  to  enjoy  so  much  independence  as  he  must 
necessarily  feel  in  a  college  where,  especially  at  this  age 
of  American  liberty,  the  youngest  feels  himself  on  a 
perfect  equality  with  the  oldest.  "=    And  L      Ashbel 

'C.  G.  Leland,  "Memoirs,"  New  York,  1893,  p.  84,  et  passim: 
■  Jl    Pennell,  "  Charles  Godfrey  Leland,'^  Boston,  1906,  Vol.  I. 
p.  60. 

'Mills,  "Glimpses,"  p.  104. 


I    ! 


t. 


i  ■*"  ^  '  ~'i' m    


1 


>(l 


r> 


u 


'  1 


'  !1- 


■  ■    il; 


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194 


A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 


Grct'D  opined  that  after  the  Anieriean  Revolution, 
and  partieuiarly  after  the  French  Revolution,  the 
youth  of  the  eountry  became  i)ossessed  with  the  idea 
of  liberty  to  such  an  extent  that  they  chafed  at  all  re- 
straint. 

Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  Jr.,  of  1808,  the  last  of  the 
Patroons,  belonj^'cd  probably  to  the  k's.s  studious  group 
in  College.  During  Witherspoon's  presidency  his  father 
had  come  to  Princeton  escorted  by  a  private  military 
guard  so  it  is  °aid,  to  enter  the  grammar  school,  where 
he  became  valedictorian  of  his  class  in  1779,  spending  at 
least  a  year  in  College  and  then  t  ransferring  his  allegi- 
ance to  Yale.  The  son  was  young  and  self-willed,  and 
before  he  entered  college  had  seen  more  of  New  York 
society  than  was  good  for  him.  We  are  told  that  he  came 
to  Princeton  in  his  own  chaise,  and  if  he  did  not  have 
a  private  escort  he  at  least  possessed  a  negro  valet,  and 
a  wardrobe  that  was  the  envy  of  every  other  student. 
To  him  the  austerity  of  life  at  Princeton  was  a  needed 
but  resented  discipline.  And  yet  by  way  of  contrast  in 
the  same  class  of  1808  was  a  future  bishop  of  Virginia, 
William  ]\Ieade,  who  to  avoid  the  temptation  of  gluttony 
at  commons  used  to  wander  off  the  campus  so  that  at  the 
sound  of  the  dinner-horn  he  might  not  get  back  in  time 
to  take  his  seat  at  table.  lie  was  not  alone  in  this 
mortification  of  the  flesh — although  he  says  he  had 
only  "  one  or  two  religious  associates  and  but  few 
helps  to  advancement  in  the  divine  life  "  while  at 
Princeton. 

Princeton's  gayest  scenes  of  course  took  place  at  com- 
mencement. Contemporary  letters  show  that  it  was  cus- 
tomary for  members  of  the  graduating  class  to  replenish 
their  wardrobes  especially  for  the  occasion.  The  village 
was  always  filled  with  visitors  and  the  campus  deliriously 


filiMi^r 


COMMENCEMENT 

liappy.  William  Richmond  Smith,  of  1773,  sent  an  ac- 
toiuit  of  his  graduation  to  liis  friend  Fithian,'  in  which 
he  says:  "never  was  there  such  a  commencement  at 
I'rineeton  hefore  and  most  likely  never  will  be  again.  The 
jraleries  were  cracking  every  now  and  then  all  day— every 
mouse-hole  in  the  church  was  eramm'd  full— The  stage 
covred  with  Gentlemen  and  ladies  a:rongst  whom  was 
tlie  Governor  =*  and  his  lady;  and  that  he  might  not 
appear  singular  Lee  ••'  was  stiff  with  lace,  gold-lace— A 
Imnd  of  music  from  Philadelphia  assisted  to  make  all 
a-,'recable  and  to  crown  the  whole  tlie  eloquence  of  Demos- 
thenes was  hearcd  in  almost  every  man's  mouth,  so  that 
the  person  who  spoke  last  was  always  the  hero  of  the 
tale— 0  murder!  what  shall  I  do  I  want  to  say  a  great 
deal  to  you  hut  cannot  for  the  girls  who  are  almost  dis- 
tracting my  heart " 

At  Newark  choirs  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  supplied 
music  at  the  exercises.    Singing  by  the  students  either 
u.  full  chorus  or  by  a  selected  glee  club  was  a  feature 
of  Princeton  programmes,  and  it  was  but  a  step  from 
chorus  singing  to  dialogues  and  dramatic  poems  set  to 
umsic,  such  as  "  Britain's  Military  Glory,"  at  commence- 
ment in  1762,  or  the  "  Ode  to  Peace  "  in  1760,  or  with- 
out music  in  "  The  Rising  Glory  of  America  "'  in  1771. 
At  a  Newark  commencement  Dr.  Ezra  Stiles  saw  "  two 
students  act  Tamerlane  and  Bajazet,'  *  and  that  plays 
or  dramatic  selections  were  common  seems  implied  in 
Dr.   Slanasseh  Cutler's  reference  to  the  stage  in  the 
prayer-hall  as  being  "  well  formed  for  plays  which  are 
permitted  here,  and  the  dialogue  speaking  principally 
cultivated."    The    productions    were    sometimes   quite 
' "  Journal  and  Letters,"  p.  42. 
'  William  Franklin  of  New  Jersey. 
•Henry  Lee  of  1773. 
•  Probably  scenes  from  Marlowe's  play. 


f  1 


'm'i 


fp  -m' 


r  / 


196 


A  CENTURY  OF  COLLKUK  LIFK 


ri 


U»f  •• 


I    I 


elHl)orat<'.  "  Our  luiiuls  have  bi't-n  a  littk'  rclnxcd  from 
the  laborious  task  "  (of  study),  writes  IVtor  Elinciulorf, 
1782,  "  by  acting  of  a  tragedy  ealled  that  of  Orniisanda 
and  AIouzo ; '  never  were  people  better  pleased,  than 
with  our  performance,  our  dress  was  silk  and  elegant  and 
every  eireumstanee  to  render  it  nol)le  was  strictly  ad- 
hered to,  it  was  so  affecting  that  it  caused  tears  to  How 
from  many." 

The  first  commencement  had  been  a  formal  and  digni- 
fied occasion,  but  it  was  not  long  before  the  abuses  which 
Governor  Belcher  had  feared  crept  in  to  mar  the  day. 
In  course  of  time  commencement  became  a  public  holi- 
day for  the  entire  countryside.  Hucksters  were  wont  to 
line  the  street  with  their  wagons  and  refreshment  booths, 
setting  the  latter  up  even  on  the  campus  and  on  the 
grounds  of  the  church  where  the  exercises  were  going 
on.  President  Maclean  speaks  of  the  fiddling  and  danc- 
ing, pitching  for  pennies,  horse-racing,  and  even  a  bull- 
baiting  which  he  witnessed  as  a  boy.  Resolutions  were 
frequently  directed  by  the  board  of  trustees  against  the 
noise  and  confusion  and  the  petty  thieving  that  went 
on  in  College  rooms  while  everybody  was  attending  the 
exercises  in  the  church;  and  the  village  o*  Pr',  -;rtoii  re- 
ceived a  charter  of  incorporation  from  the  State  long 
before  it  otherwise  would  have  been  so  honored,  partly 
at  least  to  give  the  local  authorities  power  to  check 
commencement  abuses.  The  climax  of  festivities  was  the 
ball  usually  held  in  one  of  the  taverns.  It  was  here  that 
John  Melish,-  in  1806,  decided  that  the  ladies'  costumes 
were  "  showy   but  not  neat,"  and  took  note  of  the 


•  By  John  Home.  Dr.  Witlierapoon's  pollegc-matn  at  Edinburgh, 
whom  he  criticised  for  writing  "  Douglas." 

»  "  Travels  in  the  United  States  of  America,"  Philadelphia, 
1812. 


irbl.fttti 


*... 


»■*-*•/ 


"s" 


' *■  w  jf«fw  J  •*2f '^  J, 


FOrRTII  OP^  Jl'LY 


197 


pn-vnlent  feminine  fashion  of  wearing  ear-rings  tJiree 
ni.h.s  m   diam..tfr.   known    in   can.pus   v.rna.nlar  as 
••  tupid  s  chariot  wheels."   Th..  dance  that  laid  hi.s  atten- 
turn  was  a  French  cotillion  in  which  paitners  "  sprawled 
and  sprachled,"  a  comment  that  seems  to  have  a  very 
'"odern  ring.    In  1821  an  attempt  was  made  to  forbid 
any  student  to  be  a  manager  of  or  subscriber  to  a  public 
hM  untd  after  commencement,  and  later  a  committee 
was  appointed  to  confer  with  the  senior  class  to  prevent 
the  excesses  that  prevailed  at  the  close  of  the  commence- 
""•nt  ball;  but  in  1823  commencement  was  still  what 
1  rotessor  James   W.   Alexander  called   "  our  literary 
Saturnalia."  when  the  village  appeared  "  more  like  the 
•  Oiphyctyonic  Council  of  all  our  American  Bedlams 
tlian  of  the  lovers  of  science  and  letters,"  and  it  was 
m.t  until  the  date  of  commencement  was  changed  from 
September  to  June  that  the  occasion  was  shorn  of  its 
most  objectionable  features.     The  ball,  however,  remained 
a  source  of  disorder;  and  Mr.  Alexander's  eharacteriza- 
tion  of  commencement  would  not  be  inapt  to-day 

The  Fourth  of  July  had  long  been  a  holiday,  ade- 
'iuately  celebrated.    In  1783  the  occasion  was  dignified 
•  T  the  first  time  by  the  appoint.aent  of  an  orator  from 
each  of  the  two  literary  societies,  a  fact  dulv  advertised 
in  the  papers,  the  day  ending  with  a  state  dinner  given 
.it  his  headquarters  by  Mr.  Boudinot,  president  of  Con- 
mns.    The  day  was  always  kept  in  open  style  by  the 
tavrns,  and  there  was  usually  much  burning  of' gun- 
powder, much  imbibing  of  punch  with  hearty  patriotic 
vntiraents,  and  much  oratory  around  the  village  fiag- 
f'"!e,  Dr.  Witherspoon  himself  on  one  occasion  delivering 
•li-'  address.    Faculty  and  students  ordinarily  sat  down 
toirether  to  a  special  dinner,  the  day  beginning  with 
t">rteen  rounds  fired  from  the  revohitinn^rv  .nnnon  on 


i    I' 


; 


iii 


198 


A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 


1    '     •     i      ■f 


-/ 


r  ♦ 


1  ''.  >ii. 


nr 


the  campus;  but,  in  1786,  the  faculty  having  decreed 
that  the  College  should  dine  at  the  refectory  and  not  at 
the  tavern  the  steward's  "  feelings  were  ver>'  much 
hurt,"  wrote  an  undergraduate,  "  his  conscience  much 
strained,  and  his  Purse  much  impaired  by  the  Punch, 
ham  and  green  peas  which  (mirabile  dictu)  were  had  on 
this  memorable  day."  In  the  morning  there  were  ora- 
tions by  the  representatives  of  the  two  Halls;  in  the 
afternoon  Vice-President  Smith,  who  was  continually 
mindful  of  his  pupils'  gastronomic  weaknesses,  enter- 
tained several  students  with  a  "  nicely  elegant  repast," 
and  at  five  o'clock  there  were  more  orations.  Ten  years 
later  the  occasion  was  described  by  George  W.  P.  Custis 
as  beginning  with  three  times  sixteen  rounds  fired  from 
the  college  cannon,  followed  by  the  customary  oratorical 
exliibition ;  in  the  evening  Nassau  Hall  was  dluminated, 
remaining  so  all  night,  we  are  told,  while  a  ball  took 
place  at  the  tavern. 

The  illumination  of  Na.ssau  Hall  on  the  night  of  the 
Fourth  continued  until  18-41,  the  date  of  the  last  and 
most  pretentious  celebration.  On  this  occasion  two  days 
were  spent  making  the  frames  to  hold  the  candles  set  in 
all  the  windows  of  East,  West,  and  Nassau  Hall  facing 
the  back  campus.  In  one  building  the  first-floor  windows 
contained  hour-glasses  requiring  sixty  candles  each,  an- 
other floor  represented  Washington,  another  General 
JMercer,  while  the  windows  of  the  prayer-hall  bore  the 
dates  "  1776-1841."  Designs  even  mo.'e  intricate  and 
artistic  filled  the  rear  windows  of  Nassau  Hall.  The 
roar  of  artillery  was  kept  up  all  day.  and  the  cannon  was 
hot  with  constant  service.  A  special  dinner  was  served 
in  the  refectory,  and  as  soon  as  darkness  fell,  the  college 
bell  was  tapped  and  every  window  was  instantly  lit  up, 
the  wicks  of  the  five  thousand  candles  having  been  previ- 


CELEBRATION  OF  1841  199 

ously  soaked  with  turpentine.     When  these  had  burned 
low  the  bell  tolled  again  and  each  window  went  dark 
Ihen  hreworks,  brought  from  New  York,  wore  exhibited 
to  the  admiring  throng  of  spectators.    Rain  prevented 
he  crowning  undergraduate  delight  in  the  occasion,  the 
fireball  throwing,  in  w'...:i  lar^e  balls  of  cotton-waste 
soaked  in  turpentine  rnd  bulling  w.  re  tossed  around  the 
campus  like  so  man,    filming  meteors.     The  students 
iorthwith   adjourned   -..iih   their  fireballs  to   the   Ion- 
entries  of  Nassau  Hall,  but  the  faculty  bought  them  off 
with  the  promise  of  an  outdoor  opportunity  the  ne-t 
evening,   and  according  to  schedule  the  finale  of  the 
celebration  was  carried   out  the  following  night  with 
dancing  and  a  bonfire  around  the  cannon,  and  singing 
Ha!    Jib  along!  jib  along,  Josie!  "  in  which  charm- 
mg  ditty  the  tenor  voice  of  George  H.  Boker  of  184'> 
the  future  poet  and  United  States  Minister  to  Russia' 
13  said  to  have  sounded  high  above  the  rest.    When  cur- 
lew  rang  at  nine  the  faculty  had  to  come  out  to  enforce 
the  summons,  and  the  last  College  celebration  of  the 
I'ourth  of  July  ended  with  about  fifty  recalcitrant  voung 
patriots  racing  around  the  village,  the  vice-president 
and  tutors  at  their  heels.     As  the  inevitable  sequel  a 
number  were  suspended. 

With  the  passing  of  the  Fourth  of  July,  W^ashington's 
Birthday  became  the  college  day  of  celebration.  W^hen 
class  distinctions  grew  bitter  the  culmination  occurred 
on  this  holiday.  The  oratorical  exercises  were  limited 
to  a  speaker  from  each  class,  a  humorous  address  being 
the  senior  prerogative.  At  first  presided  over  by  the 
president  of  the  College,  the  proceedings  finally  became 
too  riotous  for  his  presenc,.,  and  the  president  of  the 
semor  class  took  his  place.  The  violent  sc-nes  in  the  Old 
Chapel  during  the  eighties  and  nineties  will  never  be 


!|i 


It* 


"WT 


w 


u:.. 


1     -i 


..1  I' 


^i 


I  i 


* ) 


200 


A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 


forgotten,  and  happily  can  never  be  repeated.  The 
bombardment  of  the  rival  freshman  and  sophomore  gal- 
leries with  flourbags  and  over-ripe  fruit  and  eggs,  re- 
gardless of  the  defenseless  audience  in  the  line  of  fire, 
marked  the  limit  of  license,  and  steps  were  taken  to 
return  to  more  fitting  manners.  Such  customs  went  out 
with  the  pitiable  freshman  and  sophomore  "  proclama- 
tions "  that  used  to  adorn  every  barn  in  the  vicinity  of 
Princeton,  and  traveled  far  and  wide  pasted  on  freight 
trains  at  the  Junction.  The  scurrilous  "  rakes  "  of  the 
mid-nineteenth  century,  scattered  surreptitiously  at  the 
Junior  Orator  contest  the  evening  before  commencement, 
were  their  immodest  parents. 

The  class  of  1858  invented  the  "  horn  spree,"  a  form 
of  college  disorder  at  Princeton  which  gave  the  au- 
thorities needless  trouble.  Arming  themselves  with  tin 
horns  these  seekers  after  new  mischief  one  dark  night 
hid  themselves  about  the  campus  and  blew  their  horns 
until  exhausted,  or  until  detected  by  some  member  of  the 
distracted  faculty,  for  whose  annoyance  the  whole  thing 
had  been  arranged.  So  ear  ly  did  this  simple  amuse- 
ment effect  its  purpose  that  it  became  an  annual  affair. 
The  modem  "  poler's  recess  "  at  curfew  during  ex- 
amination week  may  be  an  echo  or  this  harmless  device 
for  letting  off  superfluous  energy.  Horn  sprees  have 
gone  the  way  of  "Sophomore  Commencements,"*  a 
much  older  institution  dating  from  the  early  forties,  and 
celebrating  graduation  from  the  sophomore  class  in  days 
when  everj-one's  hand  was  against  the  sophomore — fresh- 
man classes  being  so  small  as  to  be  negligible;  and  with 
horn  sprees  and  sophomore  commencements,  senior  bur- 
lesque programmes,  rakes  and  "  prucs, "  and  "  paper 
wars,"  eventually  will  go  freshman  "  horsing,"  the  last 

>  Cf.  Edward  Wall,  "  Reminiswnees,"  p.  20,  for  a  description. 


FRESHMAN  RULES 


201 


and  most  tenacious  of  the  group  of  undesirable  "  old 
customs." 

"  Horsing  "  an  at  least  claim  respectable  antiquity. 
Tlie  law  of  17bU  that  "  Any  Freshman  sent  on  an  Er- 
rand shall  go  and  do  it  faithfully  and  make  quick 
r.turn  "  has  been  quoted,  and  we  have  seen  that  accord- 
lug  to  the  official  "  Account  "  of  17G4  the  students  of 
that  day  gave  and  received  "  tokens  of  respect  and 
.subjection,"  the  object  of  college  discipline  being  to 
"  habituate  them  to  subjection  and  yet  maintain  their 
respective  ranks  without  insolence  or  servility,"  In 
1767  the  freshman  rale,  or  "  freshmanship,"  as  it  was 
called,  was  abrogated  much  to  the  disgust  of  an  embryo 
justice  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  Mr.  William 
Paterson,  who  foresaw  the  direst  results  of  this  first 
Jiholition  of  hazing  at  Princeton.  But  life  in  Nassau 
Hall  was  too  concentrated  to  allow  the  reign  of  perfect 
poace,  and  in  1802  a  further  rule  had  to  be  passed  for- 
bidding any  student  "  to  disturb  or  attempt  any  imposi- 
tion on  his  fellow  student  in  any  manner  whatsoever." 
Quarrels  and  personal  encounters  .seem  to  have  been 
checked  somewhat  by  this  rule,  for  the  records  show  no 
further  instances  of  the  faculty  stepping  in  to  adjust 
misunderstandings  among  the  students  and  compelling 
the  parties  concerned  either  to  sign  a  settlement  in  the 
faculty  minute-book,  or  to  leave  College,  as  had  hitherto 
been  fairly  common. 

Academic  costume  enters  into  the  history  of  the  Col- 
lege as  early  as  1751,  and  in  the  next  year  two  gowns 
were  procured  by  the  authorities,  one  for  the  president 's 
use  and  the  other  as  a  pattern  for  the  students,  who  were 
at  liberty  to  wear  gowns  or  not  as  they  pleased,  in  1755 
wearing  gowns  became  obligatory,  but  the  law  was  re- 
pealed in  1758.    When  Dr.  Witherspoon  arrived  he  im- 


t 

1-      ^ 


.ii; 


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I 

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202  A  CEXTIRY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 

nifdiatcly  put  into  effect  a  stringent  rule  requiring 
jicademic  costume  at  prayers,  at  church,  at  all  CoU^  "> 
exercises,  and  on  every  appearance  outside  of  Xa 
Hail,  except  in  tiie  "  Back  Yard  "  of  the  College,  un  icr 
penalty  of  five  shillings'  fine.  The  rule  fell  into  disuse 
during  the  Revolution,  but  in  17SG  was  once  more  en- 
forced, and  with  various  modifications  remained  on  the 
books  until  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Until 
1846  each  student  was  re(iuired  to  own  a  gown  and 
to  wear  it  on  such  occasions  as  the  law  prescribed,  or 
the  trustees  or  faculty  ordered.  In  1851  the  rule  was 
modified  to  require  a  student  to  be  gowned  only  when 
appearing  on  the  public  stage,  and  by  1870  all  mention 
of  college  habit  had  disappeared  >om  the  Laws.  In 
December.  18G8,  the  junior,  sophomore,  and  freshman 
classes  petitioned  the  faculty  to  make  academic  costume 
at  college  exercises  compulsory,  but  a  counter-petition 
being  presented,  the  original  was  laid  on  the  table,  and 
the  wearing  of  academic  costume  by  the  speakers  at  ora- 
torical contests  and  by  the  senior  class  at  commencement 
is  the  only  remnant  of  what  was  formerly  the  general 
rule. 

In  the  eighteenth  century  dressing  was  an  art  whose 
process  was  long  if  one  expected  to  appear  on  the  chapel 
rostrum,  or  in  Hall,  or  at  a  college  examination.  In 
preparation  for  such  occasions  one  needed  the  ministra- 
tions of  the  barber;  for  although  there  are  no  allusions 
in  Princeton  annals  to  the  wearing  of  bob-wigs  such  as 
were  in  use  at  Oxford  and  Harvard  in  the  eighteenth 
century,  nor  was  the  manner  of  wearing  one's  own  hair 
prescribed  as  was  later  done  in  the  Oxford  statutes, 
nevertheless  the  contemporary  mode  of  wearing  the  hair 
in  a  queue  and  of  curling  ear-locks  with  irons  rendered 
a  hairdresser's  help  advisable.     "  Near  five  o'clock," 


COLLEGE  DRESS  203 

write  *he  diarist  of  1786  one  afternoon  when  he  was  to 
sp.ak  in  Hall  after  supper,  "  waiting  for  Barlow  to 
dress  me,  and  at  last  obliged  to  run  out  of  College  to 
Ins  house."  Another  day  he  says,  "  Am  taking  all  the 
afternoon  in  dressing  &e,  &  studying  none  too  well  "  And 
a^-ain  and  worse  still:  "This  being  Society  day,  am 
taking  up  all  the  Afternoon  in  dressing  &e.  &  study  none 
at  all."  lie  may  have  been  one  of  the  sort  on  diom 
Wilham  Paterson  turned  a  dubious  rhyme  in  his  "  Belle 
of  Princeton  " — 

"  I've  grown  confounded  jealous 
Of  these  dressy  college  fellows  "— 

who  were  cutting  wide  swaths  in  Princeton  society   to 
the  disgu.st  of  their  less  lucky  classmates;  but  it  is  more 
probable  that  in  the  instances  quoted  he  was  merely 
following  common  practice  in  dressing.    A  reminder  of 
the  custom  is  found  in  the  1802  law  that  "  no  student 
sliall  employ  any  barber  or  hair  dresser  to  shave  or  dress 
him  on  the  Sabbath,  nor  shall  any  such  person  go  into 
College  on  that  day,  for  any  purpose."     Sunday  ob- 
servance   had    grown    stricter    with    the    years,    and 
whereas  a  student  had  formerly  been  forbidden  to  go 
more  than  two  miles  from  College  at  any  time,  now  on 
i^unday  he  might  not  leave  the  bounds  of  the  campus 
proper.     The  day  was  not  altogether  one  of  re.st,  and 
hardly  one  of  gladness.    "  Uy  sabbaths,"  wrote  James 
^r.  Garnett.  one  June  Sunday  in  1813.  "  are  so  much 
nnployed  in  studying  our  recitations,  viz  5  chapters  in 
the  Bible  and  10  pages  in  Paley's  Nat:  Theol.— that  I 
have  not  been  able  to  read  the  theological  works  which 
my  Father  recommended  to  me."    And  in  a  postscript 
he  adds:  "  I  forgot  to  tell  you  that  Dr.  Green  refused 
permission  to  two  young  men  to  ride  out  a  few  days  a^ro, 
i'ccause  they  had  violated  the  Sabbath.    When  they  in- 


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204 


A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 


quired  what  thoy  had  done,  it  turned  out  that  they  had 
thrown  a  stone  at  a  tree  in  the  campus  on  Sunday." 

The  laws  of  1760  had  declared  that  students  "  shall 
not  appear  out  of  their  rooms  dress 'd  in  an  indecent 
slovenly  manner,  but  must  be  neat  &  compleat,"  and  in 
1802  a  further  law  recommended  them  "to  be  plain  in 
their  dress,  but  it  is  required  of  them  always  to  appear 
neat  and  cleanly,"  college  officers  being  ordered  to  ad- 
monish the  negligent  "  and  see  that  they  preserve  a 
decent  appearance."    But  there  never  existed  at  Prince- 
ton any  prescribed  college  uniform  as  was  the  case,  for 
example,  at  Cambridge  University  or  at  Harvard  until 
well  into  the  nineteenth  century.    The  curious  habit  of 
appearing  abroad  in  dressing-gowns,  or  "  night  gowns," 
as  they  were  called  at  Harvard  before  that  use  of  the 
word  became  obsolete,  prevailed  during  the  eighteenth 
century  and  is  mentioned  as  late  as  September,  1859,  in 
the  Nassau  Literary  Magazine  as  a  campus  fashion.    The 
earliest  allusion  that  has  been  found  occurs  in  a  letter 
of  Peter  Elmendorf  in  July,  1781,  in  which  he  announces 
his  intention  to  buy  broad-cloth  for  a  winter  dressing- 
gown,  "  it  is  very  necessary  here  as  all  the  students  in 
general   wear  them."     These   garments   were   usually 
fashioned  of  brilliantly  flowered  cotton  calico,  trimmed 
with  extravagant  fringe  for  summer  wear,  and  heavily 
padded  in  winter,  unless  the  owner  possessed  a  special 
winter  gown.     They  were  worn  everywhere — to  prayers, 
to  recitation,  and  about  College,  and  later  even  in  the 
street.     The  style  in  1840  demanded  that  they  extend 
halfway  between  knee  and  ankle,  cut  like  overcoats  with 
plain  rolling  collars  and  padded  skirts,   two  pockets, 
a  hook  and  eye  at  the  neck,  a  girdle,  and  no  buttons. 
While  they  were  made  at  that  time  of  large-patterned 


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Holder  Hall  axd  Tower 


DRESSIxrj.GOWNS  205 

calico,  yet  striped  or  red  figures  were  not  fashionable, 
althouglj  oc  d,ty  ,n  any  other  respect  n.ay  be  toler- 
ated. The  lining  was  of  dilferent  pattern,  and  the 
student  whose  description  of  the  garment  has  been  used 
h-ere  completes  his  directions  to  his  father  by  adding  that 
l.e  .as  been  thus  minute  so  that  his  parents  "  may  from 
it  orm  some  idea  of  the  appearance  of  our  gentry  in 
college  life."    The  scene  at  "  Lazy  Corner  "-tSe  L'l 

-ZrV''".  '"'>'  '"'''"'^'  ''  '^'  ^«'"P"«'  ^^-h^^^  "SO  by 
our  gentry  corresponded  to  that  of  the  old  Yale 
Fence  or  the  present  benches  on  Nassau  Street-was 
kaleidoscopic.  In  the  thirties  and  forties,  undergradu- 
ates wore  high  boots  with  trousers  tucked  in,  and  for  a 
college  generation  or  so  boot-tops  were  of  different  colors 
to  denote  the  classes.  Slouching  full-topped  caps  were 
he  fashion,  and  in  winter,  dressing-gowns  outdoors  gave 

2   I  f.T    fr^''  ''°'^^''  ^""  ^"'^  ^^'•^"^^^'  ^^^^S  from 
the  left  shoulder  and  capable  at  day-break  pravers  of 

hiding  as  great  a  multitude  of  sartorial  omissions'  as  the 

inackin  osh  and  rubber  boots  of  half  a  century  later  or 

df  w^r  ";  ''  '"''"•  ^--^^--^^-t  Maclean  hi^: 
self  wore  a  famous  and  voluminous  camlet  cloak,  and 
the  vision  of  him  pursuing  some  youth  across  the  campus, 
Hith  this  garment  streaming  back  from  his  neck,  held  only 
by  Its  great  brass  clasps  and  rings,-for  in  his  early  days 

t%n  %rr  ^P"°*"'-^«  ^«  common  a  recollection 
as  that  of  his  lantern  and  nocturnal  gum  shoes. 

J^arly  class  photographs  reveal  a  number  of  curious 
adoring  specimens.  Peg-top  trousers  with  gaiters  so 
tightly  cut  that  it  was  customary  to  pull  the  high  boots 
on  urst  came  mto  fashion  with  flowing  neck-scarfs  and 
waistcoats  of  brilliant  colors  and  huge  designs  fit  only 
for  daraerreotypes,  frock  coats  of  bottle-green  or  snuff- 
brown,  tight  of  sleeve  and  finished  with  velvet  collars 


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A  CEXTIUY  OF  COLLEUK  F 'FE 


liair  down  to  the  sliouldor,  and  a  goati'C  if  possible,  since 
Dr.  Maclean  looked  witli  disfavor  on  mustaches. 

Cliarlcs  Godfrey  Lcland  introduced  long  German 
pipes  and  strong  smoking  tobacco  which  entirely  super- 
seded the  "  church  wardens  "  ami  box  of  "  shorts,"  or 
cigar  cuttings,  up  to  his  day  the  inevitable  ornament 
of  every  hearth  in  Nassau  Ilall  and  around  which  had 
grown  an  extensive  traditional  etiquette.  Tobacco  was 
used  very  generally.  Professor  Dod  s  said  to  have  been 
an  inveterate  smoker,  and  indeed  not  above  chewing  dur- 
ing recitations. 

A  college  color  does  not  seem  to  have  been  thought  of 
at  Princeton  until  18G6,  when  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  put  through  a  project  for  adopting  orange  in  honor 
of  the  Prince  of  Orange,  after  whom  Nassau  Hall  was 
named.  Nothing  came  of  the  effort  until  1868,  when  the 
class  of  1869  played  Yale  '69  at  baseball— the  first  Yale- 
Princeton  game, — and  the  Princeton  team  wore  badges 
of  orange  ribbon  with  "  '69  B.  B.  C."  stamped  on  them. 
That  September  the  inauguration  of  Dr.  McCosh  being 
at  hand,  and  the  class  of  '69  having  appropriated  orange 
ribbon  with  "  Princeton  "  in  black  letters,  it  was  thought 
proper  to  adopt  the  badge  for  a  college  color.  The 
faculty  was  petitioned  and  on  October  1  ,  1868,  two 
weeks  before  the  inauguration,  it  was  officially  resolved 
by  the  faculty  to  permit  the  students  "  to  adopt  and 
wear  as  the  College  Badge  an  orange  colored  Ribbon, 
bearing  upon  it  the  word  '  Princeton.'  "  The  color  does 
not  seem  to  have  become  genuinely  popular  until  the 
freshman  boatrace  at  Saratoga  in  July,  1874,  although  it 
is  spoken  of  in  1870  as  growing  in  popularity  and  gen- 
eral use. 

The  origin  of  the  Princeton  sky-rocket  cheer  is  some- 
what older,  dating  from  the  spring  of  1860.    Up  to  that 


w 


ATHLpyncs 


207 


time  when  town  jind  gown  encounters,  or  "  snob  fights  " 
its  they  were  called,  took  pliicc,  the  nillyini,'  i-ry  for  the 
^'ownsnien  was  "Nassau!  Nassaii!"  whicli  always 
liiuught  out  reinforcements.  The  cry  was  never  used 
except  in  case  of  dire  necessity  and  was  in  no  sense  a 
college  cheer.  The  first  appearance  of  the  sky-rocket 
cheer  in  print  was  as  the  signature  of  an  essay  in  the 
Xassau  Literary  Magazine  for  April,  1860,  by  Alont- 
^'oiiiery  Hooper  of  the  class  of  18(j().  This  use  of  the 
words  seems  to  indicate  that  the  cheer  by  that  time  was 
not  unfamiliar  to  the  campus. 

The  earliest  olKicial  recognition  of  anything  like  ath- 
letics was  in  the  shape  of  a  prohibition  passed  by  the 
hoard  of  trustees  in  May.  17G1,  in  these  terms:  "  The 
Trustees  having  on  their  own  View  been  sensible  of  the 
Damages  done  to  the  President's  House  by  the  Students 
playing  at  Ball  against  it,  do  hereby  strictly  forbid  all 
&  any  of  the  Sd  Students,  the  Officers  &  all  other  Per- 
sons belonging  to  the  College  playing  at  Ball  against  the 
sd  President's  House  under  the  Penalty  of  Five  Shillings 
lor  every  offence  to  be  levied  on  t'ach  Person  who  shall 
olTend  in  the  Premises."  The  diary  of  1786  contains 
several  valuable  allusions  to  College  sports — hockey  on 
.Stony  Brook  in  winter,  shinny,  quoits,  "  baste  ball,"  and 
"  prison  baste  "  on  the  campus  in  the  spring  and  sum- 
mer. It  is  not  clear  whether  "  prison  baste  "  and 
"  haste  ball  "  were  identical  or  not — they  probably  were 
not ;  but  at  any  rate  the  chronicler  was  no  expert  per- 
t'l inner,  for  on  March  22  occurs  the  confession:  "  A  fine 
day,  play  baste  ball  in  the  campus  but  am  beaten  for  I 
miss  both  catching  and  striking  the  ball."  He  was  more 
successful  at  the  favorite  indoor  sport  of  "  shuttle  "  or 
"  battle  doors  "  playing  either  in  an  entry  or  else  in 
the  prayer-hall.    The  earliest  Princeton  record  in  jump- 


ffT" 


208 


A  CKXTT'RY  OF  COLLEGK  LIFE 


I 


r 


ing  is  found  in  the  same  diary,  Richard  Mosby  (178()) 
being  the  i-ollego  champion,  for  he  "  excels  and  goes  11 
feet  at  a  hop  for  .'J6  hops  together  " — a  record  created 
on  March  14,  1780,  and  not  yet  broken. 

In  the  following  year  the  faculty  issued  another  pro- 
hibition: "  It  a{)pearing  that  a  play  at  present  much 
practised  by  the  smaller  boys  among  the  students  and 
by  the  grammar  Scholars  with  '>alls  and  sticks  in  the 
back  common  of  the  College  is  in  itself  low  and  unbecom- 
ing gentlemen  Students,  and  in  as  much  as  it  is  an  exer- 
cise attended  with  great  danger  to  the  health  by  sudden 
and  alternate  heats  and  colds  and  as  it  tends  by  accidents 
almost  unavoidable  in  that  play  to  disfiguring  and  maim- 
ing those  who  are  engaged  in  it  for  whose  health  and 
safety  as  well  as  improvement  in  Study  as  far  as  de- 
pends on  our  exertion  we  are  accountable  to  their 
Parents  &  liable  to  be  severely  blamed  for  them :  and  in 
as  much  as  there  are  many  amusements  both  more 
honourable  and  more  useful  in  which  they  are  indulged 
Therefore  the  faculty  think  it  incumbent  on  them  to 
prohibit  both  the  Students  k  grammar  Scholars  from 
using  the  play  aforesaid." 

If  the  game  here  prohibited  was  shinny,  the  pro- 
hibition soon  became  a  dead  letter;  for  shinny  is  men- 
tioned a  few  years  later  by  G.  W.  P.  Custis  and  remained 
the  favorite  campus  s[)ort  for  over  half  a  centur\\  (U- 
until  the  arrival  of  football  in  the  forties  and  baseball 
in  the  end  of  the  fifties. 

Under  President  Green's  stern  administration  it  must 
have  been  difficult  to  get  exercise  when  the  weather  was 
bad.  James  Garnett  writes  to  his  mothc  in  February, 
1813:  "  It  has  not  ceased  to  snow  almost  every  day  for 
a  month  &  if  it  continues  much  longer  I  shall  be  forced 
to  run  away ;  for  I  can  not  live  without  exercise,  &  Dr. 


y^^^% 


M; 


FIRST  GYMXASir.M 


209 


(iicfn  lias  forbiddfi)  any  noise  or  romping,'  in  the  college. 
1  was  in  liopi-s  that  we  should  have  had  sntVw    .jt  oxcr- 

is'  in  daneinf?  &  i'eneing,  but  I  timl  with  regard  to  that, 
ttiat  the  students  here  have  no  more  public  spirit  than 
yoti  supposf  they  have  at  William  and  Mary."  A  month 
iaf.r,  however,  tin'  lethargy  he  eoniplains  of  has  been 
shaken  off.  and  in  March  he  writes  again:  "  With  respect 
t  our  amusements  we  have  had  a  great  many  since  the 
p>()d  weather  conniicneed :  in  the  vacant  hours  Wf  exer- 
.  isr  ourselves  by  running,  jumping,  throwing  quoits  and 
pifrhing.  We  have  not  yet  got  a  dancing  master,  but  we 
wry  often  have  dances  in  each  other's  rooms,  &  we  ex- 
]>' rt  certainly  to  get  a  master  by  thi-  end  of  the  vacation." 
Tliise  were  indeed  days  of  homely  pastimes! 

In  1860  ball  playing  and  other  games  were  prohibited 
(111  the  front  campus  and  as  far  back  as  the  path  then 
iiumcdiately  behind  the  library  building  (now  the  Uni- 
\(rsity  Offices),  a  rule  which  so  far  as  the  front  campus 
is  concerned  has  become  an  unwritten  law.  During 
study  hours  playing  anywhere  on  the  campus  was  for- 
liidden. 

A  private  gymnasium  for  members  of  the  class  of 
IS3^J  existed  in  1837  in  an  old  building  off  the  campus, 
v.licre  exercise  was  taken  secretly,  the  attitude  of  the 
I'aculty  being  an  unknown  quantity.  Behind  W^est  Col- 
ItL't'  in  184!)  a  handball  court  was  put  up,  and  ten  years 
later,  through  the  personal  effort  of  two  members  of  the 
class  of  1859,  A.  A.  Lyon  and  W.  E.  Weight,  the  sum 
of  .+800  wa.s  collected  and  the  first  general  gymnasium 
at  Princeton  was  erected,  a  simple  wooden  building  some 
tliirty  by  seventy  feet  in  size.  A  tramp  smitten  with 
^ 'lallpox  was  found  in  the  gymnasium  one  morning  in 
'^>'ii  and  the  building  was  burned  to  the  ground,  and 
n;,tliing  replaced  it  until  Dr.  McCosh  erected  the  Bonner- 


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210  A  CEXTURY  OP  COLLEGE  LIFE 

i\Iarquand  (.yinnasium.  The  autlioritics  did  not  ignoio 
the  value  ol'  ixereisc,  as  is  easily  shown  from  the  refer- 
ences to  efforts  made  from  time  to  time  to  purchas,- 
"  exercise  grounds,"  but  these  efforts  for  many  years 
met  with  no  results  because  of  lack  of  available 
funds. 

football  is  mentioned  in  the  early  forties,  when  sub- 
scriptions would  be  taken  up  for  a  leather  cover,  a  beef 
bladder  would  be  inserted  and  blown  up,  the  cover  laced, 
and  the  College  would  divide  into  two  sides— usually 
East  College  versus  West,  or  Clio  versus  Whig.     East 
and  West  College  were  the  goals  and  the  side  which 
kicked  to  the  wall  won,  the  only  rule  being  that  the  ball 
could  not  be  touched  with  the  hands,  but  had  to  be 
kicked.    Later  in  the  forties  the  portion  of  the  campus 
now  occupied  by  Edwards  and  Little  Halls  and  the  Gym- 
nasium was  used  on  half-holidays  for  cricket  and  to'wTi- 
ball.     The  digging  of  the  canal  a  few  years  before  this 
afforded  opportunity  for  swimming  matches,  with  the 
added  excitement  of  occasional  fights  with  boatmen  and 
railroad  men,  the  original  line  of  the  railroad  following 
the  canal.    Charles  Godfrey  Leland  describes  a  fight  at 
the  Aqueduct  between  students  and  railroad  men  which 
was  turned  in  favor  of  the  collegians  only  by  the  oppor- 
tune  arrival  of  academic   re-enforcements  headed   by 
President   Carnahan  and  the  faculty,   whereupon  the 
"  Jerseymen  "  fled  in  utter  rout. 

Baseball  made  its  first  appearance  at  Princeton  in  the 
autumn  of  1857,  a  baseball  club  being  formed  in  the 
freshman  class  of  '61.  In  March,  1859,  a  club  was 
formed  in  the  class  of  '62  and  the  next  year  was  reor- 
ganized as  a  college  affair  under  the  name  of  the  "  Nas- 
sau Baseball  Club."  The  first  game  between  Princeton 
and  an  outside  team  was  played  on  Princeton's  birthday 


.■.■:"  /"■ 


;,.T^j- 


CURRENT  POLITICS  211 

anniversary,  October  22,  18G0,  at  Orange,  N  J  The 
^'ame  was  called  at  the  end  of  the  ninth  inning  on  ac- 
count of  darkness,  each  side  having  scored  forty-two 
runs.  Football,  though  frequently  played  on  the  campus, 
was  not  played  with  an  outside  team  until  November, 
1869,  when  Princeton  played  Rutgers. 

A  campus  which  can  look  back  upon  Revolutionary  ex- 
periences like  those  of  Nassau  Hail  could  hardly  be 
unmindful  of  the  passing  comedy  of  national  politics  in 
later  tin.es ;  and  Princeton  academic  history  is  not  alto- 
gether wanting  in  illustrations  of  this  interest.    What 
became  of  the  gigantic  hickory  pole  which  was  erected  in 
the  village  during  the  Jackson  campaign  of  1828  and 
acted  as  the  rallying  point  for  much  unbridled  oratory, 
IS  not  known;  but  various  sources  have  preserved  the 
story  of  the  Harrison  campaign  of  1840  as  Princeton 
sa'v  it.    President  Harrison  visited  the  College  and  ad- 
dressed the  students,  and  the  village  had  its  log  cabin 
and  presumably  also  its  hard  eider.    When  the  campaign 
was  over  a  wooden  ball  some  twelve  feet  in  diameter, 
with  an  axle  and  an  iron-bound  rim,  which  had  been 
rolled  from  .Alaine  to  Georgia,  covered  with  campaign 
posters  and  mottoes,  was  rescued  from  threatened  ob- 
livion at  Trenton  and  was  brought  to  Princeton  by  the 
students  to  end  its  career  gloriously  in  a  campus  bon- 
fire.   President  Tyler's  visit  in  1843  was  the  occasion  of 
strong  feeling.  His  speech  to  the  students  was  greeted  with 
mingled  applause  and  hisses  and  three  cheers  were  given 
for  Professor  Dod,  who  had  also  spoken,  but  none  for 
Tyler  until  his  escort  rose  to  the  occasion,  all  of  which 
was  forgotten  at  the  hilarious  supper  served  later  in  the 
•lay  at  "  Morven,"  the  Stockton  homestead.    A  pleasing 
incident  occurred  the  next  morning  as  Tyler  was  driving 


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212 


A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 


away.  When  his  carriage  and  four  passed  the  house 
where  Dr.  Ashbcl  Green  happened  to  be  visiting,  the 
venerable  ex-president  appeared  at  the  door  to  watch  the 
cavalcade  go  by.  President  Tyler  stopped  his  carriage, 
alighted,  took  off  his  hat  and  bowed  to  the  old  man, 
and  then  reseating  himself  drove  on — the  only  memo- 
rable feature,  says  Dr.  James  W.  Alexander,  of  the  whole 
melodrama. 

The  campaign  of  1856  which  witnessed  the  birth  of  the 
Republican  party  was  terminated  as  far  as  the  campus 
was  concerned  in  an  occasion  of  much  elaborateness.  A 
torchlight  procession  was  organized,  with  transparencies 
and  a  coffin  as  features.  At  the  front  gate  of  the  campus 
an  effigy  of  the  Republican  candidate  was  tenderly 
placed  in  the  coffin  and  a  torch  applied,  while  a  funeral 
sermon  was  delivered  over  the  remains  from  the  rather 
too  pointed  last  clause  of  John  xi.  39.  The  next  day,  of 
course,  the  faculty  suspended  the  orator.  More  serious 
consequences  than  this  followed  an  impromptu  torchlight 
procession  in  the  spring  of  1898  in  which  an  effigy  and 
a  bonfire  figured,  when  for  a  few  days  an  occasion  of 
entirely  innocent  intention  assumed  almost  international 
importance  owing  to  sensational  accounts  which  reached 
the  attention  of  the  Spanish  authorities. 

No  account  of  life  in  the  College  of  New  Jersey  could 
pretend  to  be  complete  without  some  reference  to  the 
place  there  occupied  by  religious  experience.  Even  dur- 
ing the  most  careless  moods  of  her  undergraduate  his- 
tory there  has  ever  been  at  Princeton  some  trace  of  the 
quieting  touch  of  religion,  awaiting  only  a  more  con- 
venient season  for  expansion.  Revivals,  or  at  least 
periods  of  especial  interest  in  things  religious,  are  fre- 


^WTrf^M?rW^^ElH^ 


■'-I  ra.\'   -A 


if  <^-;  .:• » 


CHAPEL  213 

absent  m   the  next  century.'      College  exercises  were 

sometimes  suspended  so  that  the  work  of  grace  might 

not  be  interrupted.    -  We  have  had  a  considerable  stir 

«t   religion   in   college  since  you   went  away,"  wrote 

Andrew   Hunter   to   Philip    Fithian   in   March,    1772. 

Lewis  Willson  is  thought  to  have  got  religion;  and 

he  formerly  abandoned  Glover  is  seeking  the  way  to 

iK-aven.     Our  orations  are  put  off  lest  they  should  do 

some  harm  to  some  under  concern."  2 

The  formal  devotional  exercises  of  the  College,  in  the 
•siiape  of  obligatory  chapel,  have  rarely  if  ever  had  aught 
o  do  with  the  true  religious  life  of  the  campus.    The 
irst  academic  exercise  held  in  Nassau  Hall  was  a  re- 
.gious  service,  and  during  the  next  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  years  attendance  at  both  morning  and  evening 
prayers   was   compulsory,   making  required  chapel   an 
older  tradition  by  a  few  hours  than  the  nine  o'clock 
ourtew  itself     In  1882,  c^.  petition  of  the  faculty,  re- 
q.nred  weekday  afternoon  chapel  was  abolished  much 
to  the  fear  and  doubt  of  certain  older  trustee,  of  the 
^s  ricter  sort;  and  in  1901  Sunday  afternoon  required 
chapel  was  also  given  up.    The  present  twice  a  week  re- 
qu,red  morning  chapel  rule  has  been  in  operation  since 
October,    190D.     Afternoon   weekday   chapel   seems   to 
imve  made  no  special  impression  on  those  who  attended 
't.  and  therefore  gave  rise  to  no  complaint,  but  one 
N'  arches  practically  in  vain  through  diaries  and  memoirs 
and  reminiscences  to  find  any  hint  that  morning  prayer 

^^m:'^sr;^^\i:!ts:s&^''' '''''  ^^«^'  ^^^«' 

I'lthian    "Journal  and  I^etters,"  p.  22.    Glover  was  Prn»ii«^ 


iM   ;  j 
i- I 


li 


ii 


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ii 


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214 


A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 


at  five,  five-thirty,  six,  or  even  six-thirty  was  ever  at- 
tended with  profit  or  remembered  witli  anything  but  dis- 
favor. On  the  contrary,  the  record  of  the  faculty's 
disciplinary  measures  shows  that  morning  chapel  was  a 
constant  cause  of  undergraduate  revolt. 

The  ''  Rebellion  of  1800  "  is  an  illustration.  "  The 
mornings  being  very  cold  this  winter,"  writes  Elias  Ell- 
maker  of  1801,  "  &  the  tutors  praying  very  long  in 
the  morning,  some  of  the  students  fell  into  a  practice 
of  scraping  &  disturbing  them  during  their  perform- 
ance." Two  of  the  men  suspended  for  this  disorderly 
conduct  were  Virginians,  "  &  the  greater  part  of  the 
students  being  from  that  settlement, ' '  it  was  determined 
to  resent  the  faculty's  action,  and  forthwith  "  Bullets, 
brick  Bats,  &e,  barrels  of  stones  &  other  combustibles 
rung  through  the  College  for  two  or  three  days."  After 
a  lull,  one  of  the  suspended  students  undertook  to  ' '  beat 
some  of  the  tutors,"  and  succeeding  in  his  purpose,  for 
the  next  three  days  "  the  College  reechoed  with  stones." 
Order  was  restored  only  when  President  Smith  called  the 
College  together  in  the  prayer-hall  late  one  night  and 
threatened  to  close  the  institution  until  the  board  of 
trustees  should  meet  and  take  action.^ 

The  sweet  coolness  of  the  early  hour  in  spring  and 
summer,  even  when  George  Whitefield  was  preaching  to 
the  College  at  5  a.m.  as  lappened  in  1763,  could  never 
offset  the  impression  made  in  winter  by  the  unlighted 
unheated  corridors  of  Nassau  Hall  through  which  the 
wind  drew  keenly  as  the  student,  half  asleep,  stumbled 

*  The  advice  needed  by  the  tutors  was  plainly  that  given  by 
Dr.  McCosh  many  years  later  to  the  absent-minded  professor  con- 
ducting chapel  one  morning  when  Mr.  Matthew  Arnold  was  a 
visitor.  Striding  up  to  his  colleague,  the  president  announced 
with  unmistakable  emphasis :  "  We  have  Mr.  Arnold  with  us. 
Ye'll  pick  a  lively  hymn — and  pray  short ! " 


RELIGIOUS  LIFE  215 

to  his  scat  to  answer  roll-call.  As  for  the  performance 
that  ensued,  men  remembered  only  its  utter  cheerless- 
ness,  the  dim  light  of  the  lamp  on  the  pulpit  where  a 
utor  droned,  the  biting  chill  of  the  praycr-hall-and 
breakfast  stdl  an  hour  or  two  away.  As  disciplineTt 
was  no  doubt  excellent ;  as  an  act  of  worship  it  was  worse 
than  a  failure. 

Although  the  infidelity  that  was  fashionable  at  the 
close  of  the  eighteenth  century  is  said  to  have  made  less 
impression  at  Princeton  than  elsewhere,  contemporary 
sources  show  that  it  was  desperately  feared  by  the  au- 
honties.    This  fear,  especially  of  infidelity  of  the  French 
brand,  is  oddly  reflected  in  a  resolution  of  the  faculty 
m  November,  1812,  that  until  the  trustees  should  order 
otherwise  anyone  "  admitted  as  a  teacher  of  the  French 
language  shall   produce   unexceptional  testimonials   in 
writing,     first,  of  his  ability  to  teach  French;  second, 
ot  his  good  moral  character  and  habits;  and,  third,  that 
he  was  not  "  hostile  to  revealed  truth."    No  similar  test 
was  ever  so  demanded  of  other  members  of  the  faculty. 
Ashbel  Green  asserts  that  in  his  senior  year  he  was 
the  only  professing  Christian  in  College,  and  the  auto- 
biography of  John  Johnson   (1801)   indicates  that  the 
state  of  religion  in  his  day  was  not  much  better,  only 
hree  or  four  students,  he  declares,  making  any  pretense 
to  piety^    But  even  then,  if  a  brilliant  preacher  like 
Henry  Kollock  occupied  the  pulpit  in  the  First  Church 
on  Sunday  afternoons,  we  are  told  that  the  majority 
of  the  undergraduates  attended  voluntarily,  and  this  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  they  had  already  been  to  a  required 
mo-ning  service  and  would  have  to  report  later  at  ves- 
pers.   Religious  conditions  do  not  seem  to  have  improved 
appreciably  in  the  next  decade,  for  out  of  one  hundred 
and  forty-five  students,  Daniel  Baker,  of  1815,  the  future 


f\ 


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216 


A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 


missionary  and  educator,  says  that  only  six,  so  far  as  he 
know,  were  professors  of  religion.  The  national  day  of 
prayer  proclaimed  by  President  Madison  in  January, 
1815,  was  a  turning  point,  leading  to  a  great  revival. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  biographies  of  Daniel  Baker 
(1815),  William  Jessup  Armstrong  (1816),  Charles  Pet- 
tit  Mellvaine  (1816),  afterwards  bishop  of  Ohio; 
Stephen  Collins  (1818),  Robert  Baird,  tutor  at  Prince- 
)n,  James  B.  Taylor  (1826),  and  the  "  Familiar  Let- 
ters "  of  James  W.  Alexander  (1820),  to  name  only  a 
few  of  the  sources,  show  that  there  was  a  serious  religious 
life  in  College  throughout  the  first  half  of  the  century, 
culminating  in  1850  in  an  old-fashioned  revival  which 
80  affected  the  student  body  that  it  accomplished  what 
the  authorities  for  generations  had  been  trying  to  bring 
about,  viz. :  the  abandonment  of  the  commencement  ball, 
an  abandonment  which  candor,  however,  compels  one  to 
admit  was  only  temporary. 

Religious  societies  were  early  established,  being  men- 
tioned in  1770  by  Fithian.  One  of  these  societies,  not 
ephemeral  in  its  nature,  should  be  particularly  no- 
ticed. On  Christmas  Eve  in  1824  an  association  was 
formed  "  to  promote  the  circulation  of  correct  opinions 
upon  Religion,  Morals,  Education  &c,  excluding  Sec- 
tarian Theology  and  party  Polities."  It  was  the  duty 
of  each  member  to  publish  at  least  once  a  month  in  any 
convenient  way  some  article  designed  to  answer  the 
above  object.  The  society  had  a  constitution  and  the 
Greek  motto :  Xpiarov  cpiXoi,  which  gave  it  the  name 
"  Chi  Phi."  When  at  length  it  disbanded,  its  religious 
feature  was  absorbed  and  perpetuated  by  what  is  known 
now  as  the  "  Philadelphian  Society,"  organized  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1825,  and  said  to  be  an  offspring  of  the  Nassau 
Hall  Tract  Society.    The  old  Chi  Phi  constitution  wa? 


4^^>:?;^^?-'':-'  %^&:s 


L<i  ^^m^^m:^ 


RELIGIOUS  SOCIETIES  217 

discovered  in  1854  by  some  undergraduates,  who,  era- 
phasizing  the  social  and  disregarding  the  religious  pur- 
pose,   reorganized  the  society  into  the   modern   Greek 
letter  fraternity  of  the  same  initials  but  different  motto. 
The  majority  of  the  religious  societies  founded  in  Prince- 
ton were  less  general  in  their  scope  but  more  efficient  in 
their  work  than  the  old  Chi  Phi.    The  Theological  So- 
ciety, for  theological  students  chiefly,  was  one  of  the 
oldest  and  the  most  academic.    The  Nassau  Hall  Bible 
Society,  founded  in  February,  1813,  supplied  a  copy 
of  the  Bible  to  ev^-y  destitute  family  in   the  State, 
and  took  part  in  organizing  the  American  Bible  Society' 
The  Princeton   Sabbath   School   Society,   founded   two 
years  later,  organized  Sunday  schools  throughout  the 
neighborhood  of  Princeton,  a  new  idea  brought  from 
Philadelphia  by  John  S.  Newbold  (1816).    The  Nassau 
Hall  Tract  Society  was  organized  in  January,  1817,  by 
students  of  the  College  and  Seminary,  to  publish  and 
scatter  tracts ;  while  the  Nassau  Hall  Education  Society 
was  organized  in  1821  to  help  deserving  students,  regard- 
less of  their  proposed  future.    One  or  two  of  the  religious 
movements  started  in  Princeton  have  become  world  wide, 
such  as  the  African  Colonization  Jlovement,  the  Inter- 
collegiate Y.M.C.A.,  and  the  Student  Volunteer  Move- 
ment, while  the  Nassau  Hall  Bible  Society  and  the  Nas- 
sau Hall  Tract  Society  were  in  the  very  forefront  of  the 
two  great  movements  they  represent. 

Although  the  list  of  alumni  during  the  first  half  of 
the  nineteenth  century  does  not  show  proportionally  as 
many  interesting  and  prominent  characters  as  that  of 
the  eighteenth,  nevertheless  it  is  not  without  its  share 
of  distinguished  names.  During  the  presidencies  between 
Witherspoon  and  McCosh  were  graduated  a  vice  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  a  secretary  of  state,  a  secre- 


m 


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218 


A  CENTURY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 


tary  of  the  treasury,  two  attorneys  general,  two  sec- 
retaries of  the  navy,  three  secretaries  of  war,  an  associate 
justice  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  ten  chief 
justices  of  state  supreme  eourts,  tliirteen  judges  of 
United  States  district  eourts.  and  over  fifty  judges  of 
state  supreme  courts,  twelve  foreign  ministers,  thirty 
United  States  senators  and  twice  as  nuiny  congressmen, 
fifteen  governors  of  states,  twenty -five  presidents  of  col- 
leges and  about  ninety  professors  in  colleges,  professional 
schools,  and  seminaries.  Vice-President  George  M. 
Dallas  (1810),  and  five  of  the  eight  cabinet  officers  in 
this  list  were  jj  iduated  under  President  Smith,  one  of 
them — John  P^rsyth  (1799) — having  a  career  as  bril- 
liant as  it  was  varied,  being  in  turn  congressman.  United 
States  senator,  governor,  foreign  minister,  and  secretary 
of  state,  occupying  the  last  position  seven  years.  Later 
cabinet  officers  were  George  M.  Robeson  (1847),  secrc- 
tary'  of  the  navy,  and  William  W.  Belknap  (1848)  and 
James  Donald  Cameron  (1852),  secretaries  of  war. 
Among  the  foreign  ministers  were  three  to  the  Court  of 
St.  James,  Richard  Rush  (1797),  Joseph  R.  Ingersoll 
(1804),  and  George  M.  Dallas  (1810).  Among  the 
governors  were  G.  I\I.  Troup  (1797)  and  Alfred  H.  Col- 
quitt (1844)  of  Georgia,  James  Iredell  (1806)  of  North 
Carolina,  Samuel  S.  Southard  (1804)  and  Joel  Parker 
(1839)  of  New  Jersey,  and  James  Pollock  (1831)  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  chief  justices  include  Charles 
Ewing  (1798)  and  Henry  W.  Green  (1820)  of  New 
Jersey,  Stevenson  Archer  (1805)  of  Maryland,  and  his 
classmate  Thomas  Ruffin  of  North  Carolina.  Education 
is  represented  by  presidents  or  provosts  from  Frederic 
Peasley  (1797)  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  James 
Carnahan  (1800)  and  John  ]\Iaclean  (1816)  of  Prince- 
ton, Bishop  William  Meade  (1808)   of  the  Theological 


LATEH  GRADUATES  219 

Sominary,  Virginia,  to  James  C.  Welling  (1844)  of 
-lumbian  (now  George  Washington)  University. 
Over  torty  eoUoges  and  professional  schools  liad  Princc- 
tonians  of  this  period  on  their  faculties.  The  church  is 
represented  by  the  bishops  William  Meade  (1808)  John 
Johns  (1815),  Charles  P.  McIIvaine  (1816),  by  the 
Alexanders  and  by  the  Hodges,  Charles  (1815)  Archi- 
l-nldA.  (1841),and  Caspar  W.  (1848)  of  Princeton  Semi 
nary ;  science  by  Kichard  S.  M'Culloh  (1836).  and  Ogden 
n,Tsfr]^"V  of  Columbia;  letters  by  Parke  Godwin 

ni      n^t\        .^r'^^'"'^   ^^'""^    (^^■^•^)'   George   II. 
Hoker  (1812),  and  Basil  L.  Gildersleove  (1849)     In  the 

onrher  part  of  the  century  the  army  found  a  most  dis- 
tinguished representative  in  Major-General  Persifer  F 
bmith  of  1815,  but  in  later  years  the  most  distinguished 
nncctonians  in  the  army  and  navy  seem  to  have  be- 
onged  to  the  medical  department,  as,  for  example,  in 

nJn7'     ''"'  ^^-  """*''  ^1^24),  Jonathan  D.  Miller 
0829)    and  Edward  Shippen  (1845),  and  in  the  army 
Josiah  Simpson  (1833),  Lewis  A.  Edwards  (1842)    and 
George  A.  Otis  (1849),  the  latter  being  author  of  a  sur- 
gical  histozy  of  the  Civil  War  which  at  onee  became 
standard.    Belonging  to  the  succeeding  college  decade  is 
another  distinguished  officer  in  the  medical  department 
of  the  army,  Alfred  A.  WoodhuU  (1856),  authority  on 
military  hygiene.    During  the  Civil  War,  perhaps  the 
most  conspicuous  Princotonian  in  the  field  was  the  Con- 
federate  brigadier-general,  Bradley  T.  Johnson  (1849) 
although  there  were  several  men  of  lower  rank  on  both 
sides  who  were  just  as  eager  and  equally  active,  and 
whose  stories  are  yet  to  be  written  in  a  history  of  Prince- 
ton  m  the  Civil  War.    And  having  referred  to  warriors 
and  warfare,  it  is  fitting,  by  way  of  contrast,  and  to 
'•!ose  this  cursory  listing  nf  a  few  prominent  graduates 


'a  I 


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220 


A  CEXTL'RY  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 


of  a  poriod  when  the  CoUorc  was  small  and  rcstriptcd, 
to  name  a  Princeton  peacemaker,  George  Gray  (1859), 
for  many  years  United  States  senator  from  Delaware, 
member  of  the  Joint  High  Commission  at  Quebec  in  1898, 
of  the  Peace  Commission  at  Paris  in  1898,  and  of  the 
Permanent  Court  of  International  Arbitration  since 
1900,  chairman  of  the  Anthracite  Coal  Strike  Commis- 
sion of  1902,  and  a  member  of  the  Fisheries  Arbitration 
Tribunal  of  1910. 


\i  ■ 


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ft 


VI 
THE  TRANSITION  PERIOD 

Inauguration  of  President  McCosh.  The  Response.  New  Build- 
ings. Introduction  of  the  Elective  Syst^^m  B.BinniniTof  ho 
..Z"'%>r;ows-  ^i^'?---*-"  -f  Ora^duaTe  InsirT-Sr  ."4  ; 
An-hite;t„r.  T.'  1^77-  '*;••;'  <.v  f^-rn-vth.  The  Bachelor  of 
Arih  tecture  The  Unchelor  of  Divinity.  Discipline.  The  Fra- 
tcrniues.     Extra-Curriculum  Activities:    McCosh   and   the  Unt 

Three  documentary  sources  tell  the  story  of  Presi- 
dent McCosh 's  administration.    His  inaugural  contains 
his  plans;  the  twenty  annual  catalogues  issued  during 
Ins  presidency  form  a  continuous  record  of  his  achieve- 
ment; and  his  valedictory  in  1888  is  a  summary  of  his 
administration.^    Aside  from  the  material  reconstruction 
thatheeffected,-the  buildings  and  equipment  he  secured, 
the  course  of  study  he  developed,  and  the  faculty  he  gath- 
ered about  him,  all  of  which  is  recorded  in  the  catalogues 
of  his  day  and  briefly  touched  upon  in  his  valedictory  — 
his  greatest  work  for  the.  College  was  the  intellectual 
awak  nmg  he  brought  about  through  his  personal  influ- 
ence on  the  students  who  during  twenty  years  came  in 
daily  contact  with  him  in  his  study,  in  his  classroom, 
or  on  the  campus  of  what  he  was  wont  to  call  "  my 
oollege."    Dr.  McCosh  was  a  great  teacher,  the  last  of 
the  teaching  presidents  in  the  larger  colleges,  and  in  his 

vold^'fU^f°^Y^-  "??""'?*  °^  ^'^  administration  is  mo^t  .^n- 
sS^/f^"'^  .'"t"'*'  HI"  "^^P**^"  "^  Professor  William  M. 
ir.l  »  /v  ^''^r  "^  '\V^^^  McCosh-a  record  chiefly  autobingrapn- 
mLi  '^^"^  ^°^^'  ^l"^>'  *°  ^^'^^»  the  reader  is  directed  for  au 
Z^.?  A^^'^'u^  °^  *h^  president's  career  and  a  discriminat'.nx 
t=t!matr  of  his  character,  personality,  and  works.  ** 

221 


11 


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,    I 


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t  I 

4    ! 


i  t 


O'la 


TIIK  TUAXSITION  J'ERIOU 


trachinp.— its  clarity,  its  ctitliusiasni,  its  olonu  ntnl  com- 
mon scriso,  and  fsi)rcially  in  its  pormnnoncc.--  lay   his 
chief  power.     Whctlur  or  not  it  shall  he  said  of  him 
hereafter,  as  he  wislu-d  it  mipht.  that  he  aided  in  found- 
ing an  Amtriean  philosophy  is  a  (picstion  not  within  the 
[)rovinee  of  these  pages  to  consider  further  than  to  note 
the  present  tendency  to  count  liim  rather  as  an  educator 
an'  administrator  than  as  a  constructive   (>lii]<>sopher. 
He  pave  the  whole  force  of  his  approval  to  the  philo- 
sophical position  Princeton  had  occupied  since  Wither- 
spoon's  day,  but  at  the  same  time  he  lifted  philosophical 
studies  at  Princeton  out  of  the  formalism  into  ^vhich 
they  had  fallen  and  made  them  inspiring  and  vividly  real. 
Dr.    Witherspoon    on    l.is   arrival   at   Princeton   had 
ousted  Bcrkleyan  idealism  and  implanted  Scottish  real- 
ism.     Dr.  McCosh.  likewise,  immediately  found  himself 
forced  into  controversy,  but  the  cause  he  defended  was 
not  the  conservative  one.     He  reached  America  in  the 
heat  of  the  Darwinian  discussion,  and  in  the  preface 
to   his  Bedell  Lectures  for   1887   on   "  The   Religious 
Aspect  of  Evolution  "  he  has  told  how,  in  1868,  he  pon- 
dered  on  shipboard  whether  he  should  openly  and  at 
once  avow  his  receptive  attitude  toward  Darwinism  or 
should  keep  his  convictions  to  himself  because  of  the 
prejudice  of  religious  men  in  America.    Naturally  Dr. 
McCosh  decided  that  avowal  was  the  honest  course  and 
he  says  that  he  had  not  been  a  week  in  Princeton  before 
he  let  his  uppcrclassmen  know  that  he  looked  with  favor 
on  the  theory  of  evolution  properly  limited  and  ex- 
plained.   The  Princeton  attitude  of  conservatism  toward 
the  new  theories  was  represented  by  the  contemporary 
writings  of  Dr.  Charles  Hodge  (1815)  of  the  Princeton 
Theological  Seminary  and  Dr.  John  T.  Duffield  (1841), 
in-iifessor  of  mathematics  in  the  College.    Against  the 


N 


■i 


I'HKSIDKXT  McCOSII  223 

[.osition  uhioh  thoy  inaintaincd  Dr.  McCosh  at  once  took 
his  .stand,     lie  apprdu-ndcd  that  the  undiseriminatinff 
'l.nuuc.ati..n  of  evolution   in   pulpits,   periodicals,   and 
seminaries  uught  drive  some  thoughtful  young  men  to 
iMlidchty  iis  they  .-Icarly  .saw  (h'vdopnieut  everywhere 
m  ni'furc  and  were  at  thi?  same  time  told  by  their  ad- 
vKcrs  that  they  could  not  Ix'licve  in  evolution  and  yet  be 
'•iinstuuis.    His  orthodoxy  was  impugned  and  his  teach- 
iMg  ruliculed  but  he  clung  to  his  positi.m  that,  being  a 
scientific  and  not  a  theological  <iuestion.  evolution  should 
not  be  made  a  test  of  religious  belief,  and  that  in  any 
«Mse  It  was  not  necessarily  opposed  to  theological  con- 
.  lusions.     And  he  was  gratified  later  to  find  that  he  was 
ti..inked  by  his  pupils  because,  in  showing  them  evolution 
HI  n.iture,  he  had  showed  that  this  was  not  inconsistent 
with  religion.'    l>re.sident  Andrew  D.  White  has  summed 
lip  Dr.  McCo-sh's  influence  in  the  matter:  "  With  him 
lieiran  the  inevitable  compromi.se,  and  in  spite  of  mut- 
tenngs  against  him  as  a  Darwinian  he  carried  the  day. 
Whatever  may   be   thought  of   his  general  system   of 
philosophy,  no  one  can  deny  his  great  service  in  neutral- 
izing the  teachings  of  his  predecessors  and  colleagues."* 
Ui}  came  to  Princeton,  as  ho  himself  frankly  admitted, 
at  a  propitious  time.     The  College  was  waiting  to  be 
shaken  into  new  life.    Fortune  favored  him  with  physical 
pifts  that  paralleled  his  intellectual  powers— splendid 
physique,  noble  countenance,  and  a  voice  whose  tones 
when  he  was  roused  matched  an  unforgettable  presence. 
These  all  helped  to  make  well-nigh  impossible  any  failure 
in  the  task  of  saving  Princeton  from  remaining  a  small 
and  average  American  college  with  a  respectable  an- 

'  l!<  ilill  I.oftiirr-i.  1S87.  p.  \\. 
lof,-'  ll''',^"^  ^^  ^'""  ^^'arfare  of  Science  with  Theology,"  New  York. 


/  ■ 


1    i    ,^ 


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(,:l 


224 


THE  TRANSITION  PERIOD 


ccstry.  Measured  by  what  he  did  fox  , .  iiiaterially  and 
intellectually  no  other  president  has  been  so  great,  not 
even  Witherspoon,  who  was  far  more  of  a  national  char- 
acter and  whose  life-work  was  richer  and  more  various, 
but  whose  academic  plans  were  cheeked  by  ill  fortuno. 
The  curious  parallelisms  first  pointed  out  by  Dean  West 
between  the  lives  of  McCosh  and  Witherspoon  have  been 
frequently  quoted;  each  a  Lowland  Scotsman  by  birth; 
each  educated  at  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  becoming 
a  minister  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  at  a  crisis  in  its 
history  and  an  important  figure  in  that  crisis,  Wither- 
spoon as  leader  of  the  opposition  to  Moderatism,  McCosh 
as  a  founder  of  the  Free  Church ;  Witherspoon  coming 
to  Princeton  in  1768,  ]\IcCosh  in  1868,  each  to  spend  the 
last  twenty-six  years  of  his  life  here,  the  one  dying  on 
November  15,  1794,  and  the  other  on  November  16.  1894. 
And,  to  complete  the  coincidence,  on  the  platform  at 
Dr.  McCosh 's  inauguration,  as  if  to  bring  him,  through 
some  pretty  whim  of  fortune,  the  benison  of  his  great 
predecessor,  there  sat  two  of  Witherspoon 's  own  pupils, 
Elbert  Herring  and  Joseph  Warren  Scott  of  the  class 
of  1795. 

No  biographer  of  any  of  the  men  who  took  part  in 
the  reconstruction  of  American  higher  education  after 
the  close  of  the  Civil  War  could  fail  to  point  out  the 
signs  of  the  time,  and  in  his  life  of  President  McCosh, 
Professor  Sloane  has  summed  up  the  educational  con- 
ditions in  the  country  when  President  Maclean  resigned. 
Public  attention  was  turning  to  the  development  not 
only  of  the  nation's  natural  but  also  of  its  educational 
resources.  The  era  of  great  educational  enterprise  was 
dawning.  Vast  sums  of  money  were  to  be  given  to  the 
cause.  Barnard.  Eliot,  Woolsey  had  already  begun  their 
work  at  Columbia,  Harvard,  and  Yale ;  and  Oilman  was 


'I 


imw^^m 


THE  OPPORTUNITY  225 

presently  to  be  appointed  first  president  of  the  Johns 
Hopkins.  Higher  education  had  been  suffering  during 
tlR-  sixties,  as  Professor  Sloane  reminds  his  readers,  not 
from  lack  of  scholars  and  able  teachers,  as  a  glance 
111  rough  the  college  catalogues  of  those  years  will  prove, 
luit  from  the  inadequate  crystallized  system  and  from  a 
II 'U'lect  of  educational  interests  incident  to  the  struggle 
lor  nationality  through  which  the  country  was  passing. 
It  was  in  the  directing  of  Princeton's  part  in  the  general 
awakening  that  Dr.  JMcCosh's  chief  duty  was  to  lie. 

He  found  the  inadequate  crystallized  system  char- 
acteristic of  American  college  currieulums  perfectly  illus- 
trated at  Princeton  by  the  fact  that  in  thirty  years  only 
two  changes  in  entrance  requirements  had  found  their 
way  into  the  list.    President  Maclean  had  followed  the 
old  and  beaten  track;  the  curriculum  his  undergradu- 
ates pursued  differed  in  no  very  important  feature  from 
the   one   he  himself  I     ^   followed  fifty  years   earlier. 
That  it  was  a  good  curriculum  as  far  a.s  it  went,  and 
when  compared  with  the  course  ui  study  at  other  col- 
leges, is  true;  indeed,  it  may  be  safely  argued  that  for 
thoroughness  of  drill  and  for  permanent  mastery  of 
fundamentals  the  American  college  curriculum  of  that 
time  was  more  effective  than  most  courses  of  study  to- 
tlay.    Many  of  the  men  who  had  lectured  at  Princeton 
under   that   curriculum    were   as   brilliant   as   any   in 
America,  but  the  time  had  come  when  a  broader,  more 
sui.ple,  and  more  fruitful  plan  of  study  was  imperatively 
needed  if  the  College  were  to  claim  admission  into  the 
front  ranks  of  higher  education ;  and,  simple  as  appears 
the  curriculum  which  Dr.  McCosh  forty-five  years  ago 
proceeded  to  install,  when  compared  with  the  myriad 
offerings  of  the  modern  university,  in  the  Princeton  of 
his  day  it  was  a  tremendous  leap  ahead. 


Ill 

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226 


THE  TRANSITION  PERIOD 


His   inaugural   must   liave  sounded  startlingly   pro- 
gressive, and  on  some  local  eais  it  must  have  fallen  be- 
wilderingly  with  its  allusions  to  European  educational 
methods  and  problems,  its  wealth  of  new  ideas,  its  ener- 
getic tone,  its  advocacy  of  an  elective  system,  its  defence 
of  athletics.     From  the  undergraduate  point  of  view 
the  most  interesting  paragraph  in  the  address  was  the 
one  in  which  the  new  president  touched  on  the  immediate 
necessity   of   constructing   a   properly   equipped  gym- 
nasium, a  statement  that  was  approved  with  a  storm  of 
cheers.    He  had  not  come  to  America,  he  said,  with  any 
design   to   revolutionize  or  reconstruct   American   col- 
leges.    The    outgrowth    of    American    conditions    and 
American  needs,  they  were  not  "  to  be  rashly  meddled 
with  ";  but  whatever  improvements  they  admitted  of 
would  have  to  be  built  up  on  the  old  foundations.    The 
end  of  university  teaching,  he  declared,  was  to  educate, 
to  draw  out,  stimulate,  and  strengthen  the  intellectual 
powers,  to  cultivate  taste  and  sensibility  for  the  finest 
art  and  literature.    A  university  must  impart  scientific 
knowledge,  real  knowledge  and  practical,  although  he 
held  that  the  teaching  of  science  was  not  the  only  way 
in  which  this  could  be  done;  a  university  might  also 
give  professional   instruction,   but  not  as  a  mere   in- 
structor  in  mechanical  arts.     "  Whatever  it  teaches," 
he  said,  "  it  should  teach  as  science  and  in  a  literary 
academic  spirit  so  as  to  impart  to  those  members  of 
the  professions  who  come  within  our  precincts  a  thor- 
oughly scientific  acquaintance  with  their  subjects."    To 
those  preparing  especially  for  the  learned  professions 
"  the  instruction  given  should  be  of  a  philosophic  char- 
acter, to  fit  them  for  entering  in  an  intelligent  manner 
and  with  a  rich  furniture  of  fundamental  and  estab- 
lished principles  upon  their  professional  studies."    Fur- 


*!£3f^^W^  H^^S!^ifllfSS^ 


It^^ 


DR.  McCOSH'S  PLANS  227 

ther,  the  aim  of  a  university  should  be  to  promote  litera- 
ture and  science ;  in  other  words,  its  members  should 
l)roduee  as  well  as  teach.  And  finally  the  glory  of  a  col- 
Ivge  should  be  its  alumni,  who  diffuse  consciously  or  un- 
consciously a  vivifying  and  humanizing  influence 
making  learning  respected  because  respectable,  and 
spreading  a  thirst  for  culture.  A  college  should  be  as 
Athens  or  Alexandria  in  ancient  times,  an  intellectual 
metropolis  whence  a  refining  influence  goes  down  to 
tlie  provinces. 

As  for  the  subjects  he  would  have  taught,  they  were 
comprised  under  the  four  main  divisions  of  language 
(classical  and  modern),  mathematics,  physical  science°s, 
mental  and  social  sciences.     Under  mental  sciences  he 
^Touped    psychology,    logic,    ethics,    metaphysics,    and 
esthetics,  and  under  social  sciences,  political  economy, 
jurisprudence,  international  law,  and  history.     But  so 
considerable  a  number  of  subjects  necessarily  implied 
selection;  no  student  could  be  expected  to  crowd  them 
all  in  a  course  of  four  years;  choice  was  therefore  in- 
evitable and  proper,  but  he  would  so  control  the  choice 
that  every  student  should  be  required  to  have  at  least 
an  elementary  acquaintance  with  most,  if  not  all  of  these 
subjects,  to  have  an  idea  of  their  method  and  be  able 
to  appreciat'3  their  importance. 

Then  he  touched  on  the  method  of  teaching  he  would 
employ  and  laid  down  the  principle  that  it  should  be 
a  combination  of  class  lectures  and  small  group  recita- 
tions with  frequent  examination  and  quiz;  and  this  led 
to  a  brief  discussion  of  the  place  that  examinations  should 
hold  in  his  plan. 

He  advocated  the  establishment  of  prizes,  or  some 
sort  of  higher  scholarships  or  fellowships,  as  a  reward 
for  college  work  well  done  and  as  an  inducement  to 


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228 


THE  TRANSITION  PERIOD 


continue  in  studies.  lie  had  already  observed  that  the 
best  American  students  rushed  from  college  into  com- 
mercial or  professional  pursuits,  thus  necessarily  hinder- 
ing the  development  of  higher  learning  in  America,  and 
it  was  to  counteract  the  attractions  of  the  materialistic 
age  that  he  advocated  his  fellowship  system.  And  in 
conclusion  he  touched  briefly  on  his  plans  for  material 
extension ;  he  wanted  funds  to  increase  salaries,  to  build 
a  gymnasium  and  more  dormitories,  to  increase  the  li- 
brary, und  to  endow  new  chairs. 

There  was  a  confident  note  in  the  address  which  gave 
his  hearers  courage  to  believe  that,  while  he  had  laid 
out  an  ambitious  prr. gramme,  yet  he  was  not  seeking  the 
impossible.  Dr.  McCosh  lost  no  time  in  putting  his 
ideas  into  execution.  He  entered  upon  his  work  with 
an  energy  no  president  had  shown  since  Witherspoon. 
It  was  as  if  a  heather-scented  breeze  had  blown  across 
the  musty  campus  bringing  with  it  freshening  air,  an 
eagerness  for  life,  and  the  dawn  of  a  new  day.  Before 
men  had  ceased  to  talk  about  his  inaugural  the  presi- 
dent had  made  a  beginning.  At  his  third  meeting  with 
his  faculty,  for  instance,  he  laid  before  his  colleagues 
a  remit  from  the  board  of  trustees  proposed  by  him- 
self authorizing  a  radical  change  of  immemorial  prac- 
tice by  providing  that  the  instruction  of  freshmen 
should  no  longer  be  relesated  to  tutors,  the  youngest 
and  least  experienced  teachers  on  the  staff. 

Alumni  who  could  not  visit  Princeton  learned  from 
the  mere  growth  of  the  annual  catalogue  that  red  blood 
was  once  more  stirring  in  the  veins  of  their  sluggish 
Alma  Mater.  During  the  first  ten  years  of  Dr.  MeCosh  's 
reign  the  catalogue  was  practically  trebled  in  size,  and 
not  trebled  by  padding.  The  first  catalogue  he  issued 
gave  alumni  something  to  think  about,  for  it  stated  that 


*h,.^^"SL'. 


NEW  BUILDLXGS  229 

in  September  of  the  next  year  (1869)  important  changes 
would  go  into  effect.    Freshmen  would  recite  each  week 
to  senior  professors  and  would  no  longer  spend  all  their 
time  in  dreary  hours  with  young  instructors ;  ^  sopho- 
mores would  hereafter  take  a  course  in  natural  history 
and  also  a  modern  language,  and  most  important  inno- 
vation  of  all,  a  scheme  of  restricted  electives  for  juniors 
and  seniors  was  set  forth.    Triends  of  the  College  who 
might  be  more  interested  in  the  physical  side  than  in 
the  intellectual  were  informed  that  a  new  gymnasium 
was  to  be  erected  during  the  coming  year,  and  in  Janu- 
ary, 18/0,  the  Bonner-Marquand  Gymnasium  was  duly 
opened,  containing,  incidentally,  the  first  bathing  facili- 
ties m  a  Princeton  college  building.    A  new  recitation- 
hall  w^s  also  announced.     The  gloomy  old  classrooms 
were,  m  the  president's  own  phrase,  "temptations  to 
disorder,"  while  according  to  a  more  specific  critic  they 
were     mostly  ill-conditioned  cellars  and  attics  "    It  was 
iiot  an  unheard-of  thing  to  find  the  benches  all  east  into 
the  stove  on  a  cold  morning,  and  orderly  recitation  well- 
nigh  impossible.    The  best  of  the  rooms  did  double  duty 
as  museums  or  laboratories  as  well  as  lecture-rooms,  and 
were  overcrowded.    A  new  recitation  building  was  there- 
ore  an  imperative  necessity,  and  by  September,  1870, 
Dickinson  Hall,  named  after  the  first  president,  was 
ready.    The  top  floor  of  the  building  was  planned  as 
an  examination  hall,  and  this  admitted  at  once  of  sys- 
tematization   in   the  conduct   of  college  examinations. 
Ihe  next  catalogue  announced  the  establishment  of  fel- 
lowships and  prizes  and  published  a  list  of  scholarships. 
It  also  made  a  beginning  toward  the  development  of 

siJhfof  Tifo  ?'■•  vK^T)'^  ."""'"P^  ^  ^°"^'''"«  the  personal  over- 
Xr^Jn  ^-"g''^i»^t"torial  8ysk>in  with  the  class  and  lecture 
svbttm  of  Germany,  Scotland,  and  America. 


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230 


THE  TRANSITION  PERIOD 


alumni  solidarity  by  printing  in  a  conspicuous  place 
the  names  of  officers  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  Nas- 
sau Hall,  and  giving  the  organization  publicity.  It  is  a 
safe  guess  that  annual  catalogues  were  more  eagerly 
scanned  during  the  first  ten  years  of  Dr.  MeCosh's  ad- 
ministration than  they  ever  had  been  before  or  have  been 
since. 

The  most  important  single  addition  to  the  equipment 
of  the  College  made  during  this  period  was  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  John  C.  Green  School  of  Science.  The 
first  prospectus  of  the  School  of  Science,  issued  in  1872, 
showed  that  it  was  intended  not  to  be  a  scientific  school 
separate  from  the  academic  department,  but  rather  a 
means  to  strengthen  the  latter  in  its  scientific  branches 
by  providing  teachers,  museums,  and  scientific  apparatus. 
Therefore,  besides  mathematics,  physics,  chemistry 
(theoretical  and  practical),  geology,  physical  geography, 
zoology,  botany,  mineralogy,  and  English  composition, 
its  students  would  be  required  to  make  a  selection  from 
the  following  humanistic  studies:  Latin,  French,  Ger- 
man, history,  logic,  ethics,  psychology,  political  economy, 
international  law,  and  natural  theology.  On  the  com- 
pletion of  the  course  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  arts 
would  be  conferred.  It  was  proposed  also  to  arrange 
advanced  courses  for  graduate  study  and  leading  to  the 
doctorate  in  science  and  philosophy. 

For  students  seeking  a  scientific  education  with  a  fair 
literary  culture,  but  not  desiring  the  classics  and  ad- 
vanced philosophical  courses,  the  circular  proposed  a 
three-year  course  and  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  science. 
This  plan  was  discarded,  however,  before  the  School  of 
Science  was  opened.  The  scientific  schools  at  Yale, 
Stevens,  and  Columbia  had  been  visited  and  a  building 
had  been  planned  on  the  experience  of  these  places. 


mMmmmm 


m 


TECHNICAL  COURSES 


231 

The  endowment  of  professorships  in  physics  and  dvil 
■•  «,.noor.ng,  and  of  adjunct  professorships  in  chemistry 
•nd  geology  were  called  for,  and  it  was  proposed  ,"1 

™  "cs  »;,  r  ""•  "  '""^   ^"""'  ''-""'   «-""- 
.ourscs  such  as  engineering  (mechanical  and  mining) 

HZunr,    "'"  ""'^""■'-     ^^"^"""^  "™  "  "erable 

e  ted  in  ,«?"  "  T"  '""'""'"''^  ™""»-    ^1"^  course, 
riated  in  1875,  and  a  course  in  architecture,  created  in 

re  the  !  '°  *'"'  "'  ''^"'*^  °*  architecture 
«ire  the  only  ones  actually  established.  In  1873  the 
course,  leading  to  the  bachelor's  and  master's  degrecMn 
«'.enee  were  announced.  Here  Dr.  iMcC«,h  was  reaoin" 
»  .ere  President  Maclean  had  sown,  and  one  afterTa! 

Prin«ro„  *'  "  "■'"•"^'-"""^  """'"ed  to  that  of 

The  college  buildings  and  their  furnishing  were  a  dis- 
appointment to  the  president  when  he  flrs^  saw  ^hem 

-tdiLr  \1^  V''  '-  '■»"--  gcneralThS 
1870  Z'  .  '  """■  ''""'  '*"  Gyraiasium  in 
1870    the  most  important  undergraduate  need    then 

°*7\Ha"  ^0  that  recitations  might  be  heM  wi  h 

»rt.    Nc«  came  a  dormitory,  Reunion  ^  and  in  187'> 

Its  kind  save  in  its  opaque  windows.    With  at  last  (he 
Koper  housing  of  the  books  came  the  appointment^ 
professional  librarian  and  the  collection  b!gan  to  glow 
vas'l^ed""-    '"  ''''  '"^  ^"'■°°'  "'  Science  build  „; 

lanTnt,  •  t't  T™"^'""  "  "^  "'"'P""='«  P'raps 
Ian  m  ,ts  architecture.  University  Hall,  originally  a 
"tel  became  a  college  dormitory  in  1883.   MurL  Hall 

c-tcted  in  1879,  to  be  overshadowed  in  1881  by  Mar- 


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232 


THE  TRANSITION  PERIOD 


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quand  Chapel,  when  the  Old  Chapel  became  a  lecture- 
room.  The  Observatory  of  Instruction  used  by  the 
classes  in  astronomy  supplemented  in  1878  the  Hal- 
sted  Obscrvatorj',  which  had  been  completed  in  1869. 
Witherspoon  Hall,  a  dormitory  somewhat  more  preten- 
tious in  its  appointments  than  the  others,  was  erected  in 
1880,  and  was  followed  by  Edwards  Hall,  as  plain  as 
Witherspoon  was  ornate.  The  Class  of  1877  Biological 
Laboratory  and  the  Art  Museum,  both  presented  in  1887, 
complete  the  list  of  the  McCosh  buildings.  A  notable  ad- 
dition to  College  property  was  the  purchase  of  "  Pros- 
pect "  for  the  residence  of  the  president,  where  he 
might  live  with  becoming  dignity  and  as  the  official  host 
receive  and  entertain  the  growing  procession  of  visitors 
to  the  College.  The  variety  of  use  that  these  buildings 
connote  illustrates  the  many-sided  expansion  that  was 
going  on. 

At  the  same  time,  the  president  was  improving  the 
natural  appearance  of  the  campus,  laying  new  walks, 
cutting  away  undergrowth  and  dead  timber,  and  setting 
out  new  trees ;  it  was  thus  that  he  spent  his  hours  of  re- 
laxation. "  I  remember,"  he  said  in  his  valedictory, 
' '  the  days  sunshine  or  cloudy,  in  April  and  November,  in 
which  I  cut  down  dozens  of  deformed  trees  and  shrubs, 
and  planted  hundreds  of  new  ones  which  will  live  when  I 
am  dead."  A  comparison  of  photographs  of  the  campus 
before  his  time  and  after,  is  the  readiest  demonstra- 
tion of  the  efficiency  of  his  double  service.  Like  other 
men  of  vision  Dr.  McCosh  was  severely  criticised  for 
putting  so  much  money  into  stor  .  and  mortar,  although 
every  building  he  put  up  was  absolutely  needed.  One 
has  but  to  read  the  New  York  and  Philadelphia  news- 
papers of  the  middle  70 's  to  find  alumni  grumbling  in 
print  at  the  ".-ay  things  were  going.    There  were  those 


'^^b^r^' 


t'j^  "Jm-f:7TjL 


INTELLECTUAL  REFORMATION  233 

who  hankered  for  the  «'  old  days  "  and  who  disapproved 
entirely  of    he  bustle  and  energy  that  had  supplanted 
Z  ^°7,^^^;««"^^^^«  quietude.    Others  pointed  out  that 
lie  old  buildings  and  equipment  had  been  good  enough 
ior  them  and  for  their  teaehers-for  men  like  Torr^y 
and  Henry-why  were  they  not  sufficient  for  the  new 
K-eneration?     Why  was  not  Dr.  MeCosh  spending  Z 
money  in  en  arging  his  faculty,  especially  on  the  scien- 
tihc  side?    And  as  usual  with  such  critics,  these  fault- 
inders  were  in  possession  of  but  half  the  facts.     Dr 
:^IeCosh  went  ahead,  viewing  the  buildings  aa  outward 
expressions  of  a  growing  internal  life 
The  criticisms  might  have  been  valid  had  he  made 
e  erection  of  buildings  and  the  clearing  of  the  campus 
iHs  chief  emprise;  but  side  by  side  with  these  physical 
improvements  a  twofold  spiritual  process  was  going  on 
of  which  time  alone  could  show  the  fruitage.     Within 
the  College  was  commencing  an  intellectual  reformation 
which  meant  the  birth  of  the  university  spirit ;  while  out- 
side of  Pnnceton  and  its  semi-seclusion,  in  the  circle  of 
alumni  affiliations  enthusiasm  and  support  were  being 
aroused  and  organized,  in  a  way  by  which  alone  the 
preat  developments  of  the  future  could  have  been  at- 
tamed. 

The  intellectual  reform  was  begun  at  the  bottom,  and 
in  elementals.  The  undergraduate  curriculum  had  been 
taken  up  at  once  by  the*  president.  Mindful  of  his  in- 
augural  declaration  he  had  resolved  to  keep  all  that  was 
good  m  the  old  course  of  study  and  yet  find  room  for 
new  studies  entitled  to  a  place  beside  the  old  He  be- 
lieved, however,  that  there  were  eternal  verities  in  edu- 
eation  as  m  philosophy  and  in  religion,  and  he  could 
not  be  shaken  from  his  position  by  any  passing  phase 
ot  odnrationa!  experiment,  however  enticing.    The  good 


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THE  TRANSITION'  PERIOD 


in  any  now  theory  he  would  take  but  only  to  weld  it 
on  to  his  academic  substructure,  not  to  displace  it.    The 
result  was  a  new  curriculum  devised  by  a  committee  of 
the  faculty  under  his  direction  whereby  freshman  and 
sophomore  years   were  devoted  almost  entirely   to  re- 
quired subjects;  junior  year  saw  the  introduction  of 
elective   studies,    while   senior   year   was    largely   com- 
posed of  them.    The  appointment  of  a  faculty  committee 
to  devise  a  new  curriculum  was  of  itself  an  indication 
of  the  new  spirit,  and  harbinger  of  the  now  attitude 
that  the  faculty  was  to  take  toward  its  function.    Until 
this  time  its  deliberations,  almost  without  exception,  had 
been  confined  to  the  administration  of  discipline.    Now, 
no  longer  a  handful  of  estimable  gentlemen  perceiving 
no  immediate  problems  to  solve  but  those  that  concerned 
a  strict  preservation  of  the  College  decalogue,  the  faculty 
was  to  become  a  body  of  eager  teachers,  on  the  one  hand 
striving  to  develop  a  remodeled  educational  machine  and 
hence  more  interested  in  educational  policies  than  in 
petty  hairsplittings  as  to  the   punishment   of  defiant 
lawbreakers,  and  on   the  other,  earnestly  at  work  in 
their  own  special  fie'ds.    Professor  Sloane  has  described 
the  way  in  which  Dr.  AlcCosh  brought  the  first  of  these 
conditions   about.     "  Men  familiar  with  other  institu- 
tions and  with  education  in  both  continents,  specialists 
of  eminence  and  trained  teachers,  were  sought  with  as- 
siduity to  fill  vacancies  but  when  found  they  were  not 
necessarily  chosen;  one  final  test  was  imposed  by  Dr. 
McCosh  in  his  own  mind,  that  they  should  be  likely  to 
acquire   enthusiasm  and   to  develop   loyalty   for  those 
things  for  which  Princeton  stood.    Perfectly  aware  that 
system  was  nothing  without  men  to  work  it,  he  used 
the  faculty  meeting  as  a  forum  for  the  discussion  of 
educational  questions,  reducing  its  judiciary  function  to 


kv\-. 


„»i?;^rj!^.>T%?i*- 


«1i.tl 


GItADUATE  IXSTKIX'TION 


235 

H  minimum.  It  boc-unus  tl.orcr...v,  a  moans  of  unilying 
tl'-  sentiments  und  methods  of  vhe  inst...-tors,  of  in.nir 
.li^'  then,  uuh  a  feeling  of  co-o,H.ration.  and  above  all 
■  se  of  givu.K'  tlir,n  an  opening  for  the  enforoem.nt  upon 
the  president  of  the  opinions  they  derived  from  their 
own  experiences. " ' 

Fast  on  the  heels  of  the  new  currioulum  came   its 
ugjea    seque.  the  organization  of  graduate  in.struetion 
and  the  standardization  of  cai    Mdacy  for  the  higher  de- 
Krees.     Graduate  students  are  found  in  Prine.ton  hi  - 
tory  as  early  as  1760,  when  President  Davies  mentions 
the  tact  that  five  su.-h   were  "  pursuing  studied'  in 
(.ollegc-     These  may   have  been   theological   students 
m  which  ease  it  is  odd  mat  Mr.  Davies  does  not  so  de 
s.'ribe  them.    In  Dr.  Witherspoon 's  time  the  College  was 
rarely,  ,f  ever,  without  resident  graduates  either  study- 
.ng  divinuy  or  following  the  courses  of  special  reading 
lu-  announced  himself  prepared  to  lay  out  for  those  who 
desired  to  continue  their  college  work.     Twenty-three 
^'raduate  students  were  in  residence  in  1823      In  1829 
mo  nine  graduates  were  studying  medicine  with  Dr 
fowell,  and  three  others  were  reading  chemistry  with 

Moup  of  huv  students  were  .several  bona  fide  graduate 
^  udents.     So  that  the  idea  of  pursuing  further  study 
under  faculty  direction  after  graduation  was  scarcely 
n-v.      n  1869  Dr.  McCosh  introduced  fellowships  and 
m  1877  he  reported  to  the  board  of  trustees  that  for 
;^n.ae  years  past  a  few  graduates  had  been   receiving 
instruction.    But  this  year  marks  the  first  attempt  to 
ys  cmatize   that   in.struetion.      Graduate   courses   were 
uirularly  authorized  and  forty-two  men  immediately  re- 
I  "Life  of  James  McCosh,"  p.  245 
New  Jersey  Historir..!  society  Pm-ccdings,  Vol.  I,  p.  78. 


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TIIK  TRANSITION  TKRIOD 


spondcd,  ckven  of  whom  were  dcvotinp  themselves 
purely  to  seience.  In  1878  twelve  graduate  eoursea  were 
olTcnil — four  in  philosophy,  five  in  literature,  and  three 
in  seienec,  each  eonsisting  of  at  least  one  hour,  and  not 
more  than  three,  a  week.  In  1888  the  numher  of  gradu- 
ate stuilents  had  grown  to  seventy-eight  and  the  num- 
ber of  eourscs  offered  to  twenty-eight. 

In  his  report  of  1877  the  president  had  spoken  of 
graduate  work  in  Princeton  as  grouped  under  the  three 
schools  of  philosophy,  philology  (literature),  and  science. 
In  the  last-named  school,  as  we  have  seen,  the  degree  of 
master  of  science  had  been  instituted.  To  obtain  this 
the  candidate  was  required  to  hold  a  bachelor's  degree 
in  either  arts  or  science  and  to  reveal  satisfactory  knowl- 
edge of  such  of  the  studies  named  below  as  he  had  not 
previously  pursued  and.  further,  to  show  by  disserta- 
tion and  examination  special  proficiency  in  selections 
from  these  studies:  biology,  mathematics,  practical  as- 
tronomy, applied  chemistry,  qualitative  analysis,  quanti- 
tative analysis,  physics,  mineralogy,  drawing,  modern 
languages.  In  the  next  year  (1878)  the  first  regulations 
governing  the  doctor's  degree  in  philosophy  or  science 
and  the  master's  degree  in  arts  were  published.  Any 
bachelor  of  arts  or  science  devoting  two  years  exclusively 
to  graduate  work  at  Princeton,  passing  examination  and 
presenting  a  satisfactory  dissertation  containing  the  re- 
sult of  original  research,  might  apply  for  the  doctor's 
degree  in  philosophy  or  science.  Any  bachelor  of  arts 
devoting  one  year  exclusively  to  graduate  study  at 
Princeton  and  passing  examination  thereon  was  entitled 
to  apply  for  the  master's  degree  in  arts  two  years  after 
taking  his  bachelor's  degree.  Any  bachelor  of  arts 
pursuing  at  least  one  graduate  course  a  year  for  two 
years,  and  passing  examination  was  entitled  to  apply 


f 


'}^m'W^ 31:^1 


IirOIIER  DEGREES  237 

for  the  master  of  arts  doRrcc.  Hacholors  of  arts  pur- 
MiinK  a  learned  prof.'ssion,  including  that  of  teaching, 
were  entitled  to  apply  for  the  master  of  arts  degree 
three  years  after  graduation  and  bachelors  of  arts  not 
F"irsuing  a  learned  profession,  including  teaching,  were 
iMtitled  to  the  master's  degree  on  presentation  of  a 
satisfactory  dissertation  three  years  after  graduation. 

While,  therefore,  the  master's  degree  was  safeguarded 
lu  the  case  of  candidates  of  less  than  three  years'  stand- 
ing, it  was  still  possible  for  a  bachelor  to  receive  the 
degree  on  the  old  three-year  basis,  which  meant  that  it 
was  conferred  on  practically  all  who  had  pursued  profes- 
sional or  literary  callings  or  who  contrived  to  get  the 
<'.'ir  of  a  good-natured  clerk  of  the  faculty  and  so  caused 
tiieir  names  to  be  presented  to  the  board  of  t^ustee5^— a 
procedure  scarcely  more  arduous  than  that  laid  down 
in  the  laws  of  1748,  when  those  gentlemen  who  had 
prosecuted  their  studies— which  meant  any  studies— for 
tliree  years  after  graduation  and  had  "  not  been  scan- 
dalous m  their  Lives  and  conduct  "  were  eligible  for 
the  master's  degree.     Samuel  Davies  had  received  the 
master's  degree  in  1753  on  defending  a  thesis.    In  Presi- 
d<'nt  Finley's  day  candidates  had  to  reside  in  or  near 
College  for  a  week  before  commencement  and  submit  to 
•III  college  laws  including  a  certain  amount  of  chapel 
and  before  commencement  they  had  to  undergo  a  public 
'^xamuiation  in  such  subjects  "  as  have  a  more  direct 
Connection  vith  that  profession  of  Life  which  they  have 
nntored  upon  or  hav.  i„  View  ...  and  shall  make  such 
1  reparation  for  the  Commencement  as  the  officers  of 
the  College  shall  judge  proper."    This  was  the  origin 
at  Princeton  of  the  master's  oration,  which  remained  on 
commencement  programmes  until   1888.     The  require- 
ments for  the  doctor's  degree  were  soon  improved.    By 


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238 


THE  TRANSITION  PERIOD 


1886  the  degree  in  philosophy  was  open  to  bachelors  of 
arts  who  pursued  two  years  of  prescribed  graduate  study, 
one  year  of  which  was  spent  at  Princeton  in  the  depart- 
ment of  philosophy.  The  degree  was  conferred  after 
examination  and  the  presentation  of  a  satisfactory  dir- 
sertation.  The  degree  in  science  was  open  to  bachelors 
of  arts  or  science  who  pursued  two  years  of  graduate 
study  in  science,  passed  examination,  and  presented  a 
dissertation;  while  the  degree  of  doctor  of  literature 
was  open  to  a  bachelor  of  arts  who  devoted  two  years 
to  the  study  of  literature,  ancient  and  modern,  one  year 
being  spent  in  Princeton.  The  degrees  might  be  con- 
ferred on  graduates  of  the  College  without  residence 
after  three  years  of  study  under  the  direction  of  the 
faculty,  coming  up  from  time  to  time  for  examination. 
By  special  permission  of  the  faculty  graduates  of  other 
colleges  might  be  allowed  to  pursue  a  prescribed  course 
of  graduate  study  under  superintendence  and  might  then 
apply  for  any  of  the  doctor's  degrees. 

In  1886  these  requirements  were  reviewed  and  in  the 
next  year  a  new  set  of  regulations  was  issued  governing 
the  doctor's  degrees,  the  requirements  for  the  master's 
degrees  remaining  unchanged.  Graduates  of  Princeton 
and  of  other  colleges  were  placed  on  the  same  footing  and 
the  rules  were  applied  identically.  All  candidates  for 
the  doctorate  were  hereafter  to  be  graduates  of  an  ap- 
proved college.  A  bachelor  of  arts  might  apply  for 
any  of  the  doctor's  degrees,  but  a  bachelor  of  science 
(or  equivalent)  might  apply  only  for  the  doctorate  in 
scioncc  or  for  the  degree  of  doctor  of  philosophy  in 
science.  Each  candidate  at  the  beginning  of  the  year 
was  to  pass  a  preliminary  examination  upon  subjects 
"  intimately  connected  with  his  proposed  course  of 
study,  and  which,"  in  the  language  of  the  new  rule,  were 


m 


DOCTOR'S  DEGREE 


239 


"  necessary  for  its  sn;  cessful  prosecution."  On  fulfill- 
ing this  requiremen  t  admission  the  candidate  might 
adopt  one  of  two  plr  -(1)  a  two  years'  course  of  pre- 
scribed study,  one  of  die  years  being  spent  at  Princeton 
in  exclusive  work  in  his  chosen  department,  or  (2)  a 
three  years'  course  under  direction  but  without  resi- 
dence. The  latter  plan  would  not  demand  the  exclusive 
employment  of  the  candidate's  time  in  prescribed  study 
for  the  degree.  Having  chosen  one  or  the  other  of  these 
plans  th,>  candidate,  at  the  beginning  of  his  course, 
was  to  announce  for  approval  by  the  faculty  a  chief  sub- 
ject of  study  and.  during  the  first  year  of  his  course, 
two  subsidiary  subjects.  At  an  appointed  time  in  the 
closing  year  of  his  course  he  was  to  present  a  thesis  in  the 
department  of  his  chief  subject  showing  evidence  of  high 
scholarship  and  original  research,  and  at  the  end  of  his 
course  he  was  to  pass  final  examinations  on  his  chief 
;ind  subsidiary  subjects.  But  he  was  not  to  be  admitted 
to  examination  until  his  thesis  was  accepted.  It  is 
scarcely  necessary  to  point  out  the  great  advance  along 
the  lines  of  system,  uniformity,  and  higher  standard 
made  in  this  plan  as  compared  with  the  conditions  pre- 
vailing before  its  adoption. 

In  Dr.  MeCosh's  opinion  the  average  scholarship  of 
the  great  body  of  American  college  students  was  as  high 
ns  that  of  European,  but  in  Great  Britain  and  Germany 
there  was  reared  a  body  of  ripe  scholars  with  whom 
America  as  yet  had  nothing  to  compare.  To  attempt  the 
creation  of  a  similar  body  at  Princeton  ho  proposed 
prizes  and  fellowships.  Not  only  would  the  cause  of 
higher  learning  in  America  be  served  by  the  institu- 
tion of  fellowships  on  a  substantial  footing,  but  the 
presence  at  Princeton  of  picked  incumbents  devoting 
themselves  to  higher  learning  would  tend  to  raise  the 


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240 


THE  TRANSITION  PERIOD 


intellectual  tone  of  the  College;  ard  no  one  had  ever 
heard  it  claimed  that  the  intellectual  tone  of  Princeton 
during  the  two  decades  before  1870  was  of  high  order. 
Fellowships  had  been  talked  of  at  Princeton  as  early 
as  1818,  but  the  first  one  in  the  history  of  the  College 
was  granted  in  1845  to  William  Wilberforce  Lord,  who 
had  delivered  a  much  praised  course  of  lectures  on  Eng- 
lish literature,  and  from  Avhom  great  things  were  ex- 
pected in  the  field  of  poetry  and  criticism  until  pastoral 
labors  crushed  the  creative  powers  within  him.    Fellow- 
ships in  those  days  were  sporadic;  they  were  awarded 
under  no  system  and  carried  no  emoluments — Mr.  Lord 
had  been  compelled  to  charge  admission  to  his  lectures 
and    they   were    popular   in    College    notwithstanding. 
When  Dr.  McCosh  made  his  proposal  the  idea  was  stili 
new.    Harvard  founded  three  fellowships  in  1868-1869. 
Dr.  McCosh  founded  three  in  the  same  academic  year 
and  after  1873  the  number  varied  from  six  to  fourteen. 
By  the  end  of  his  incumbency  fellows  had  become  an 
important  part  of  the  superstructure  of  the  undergradu- 
ate department.     They  were  not  held  to  residence  in 
Princeton.    For  instance,  in  1876  five  were  at  Leipsic, 
one  at  Oxford,  one  in  New  York,  and  only  one  at  Prince- 
ton.   The  value  of  this  innovation,  when  estimated  by  its 
results  in  the  growth  of  the  educational  spirit,  is  evi- 
denced by  the  careers  of  the  one  hundred  and  thirty 
fellows  appointed  at  Princeton  from  1870  to  1886.    Dur- 
ing  the  twenty  years  prior  to  Dr.  McCosh 's  inauguration 
only  forty-two  of  the  thirteen   hundred   graduates  of 
Princf'ton  had  reached  college  professorships;  while  of 
the  fourteen  hundred  and  fifty-one  graduates  whom  he 
sent  out  in  the  first  sixteen  years  of  his  presidency 
seventy  were  appointed  to  professorships  in  twenty -nine 
universities  and  colleges. 


SCIENCE 


241 


In  no  single  department  was  greater  progress  ulti- 
mately shown  during  Dr.  JlcCosh's  administration  than 
in  that  of  the  sciences.  It  was  his  opinion  that  the 
scientific  apparatus  and  collections  of  the  College  when 
he  arrived  were  fit  only  to  be  burned.  During  his 
presidency  th  >  equipuR'nt,  especially  in  botany,  geology, 
zoology,  and  paleontology,  was  enormously  increased  in 
quantity  and  value.  Expeditions  to  the  West  brought 
back  masses  of  material  for  Princeton  laboratories.  A 
particularly  important  advance  on  the  scientific  side 
was  the  completion  of  the  Ilalsted  Observatory  and  the 
installment  of  what  was  then  one  of  the  largest  tele- 
scopes in  the  country,  followed  by  the  erection  of  the 
Observatory  of  Instruction  and  the  calling  of  the  late 
Professor  Charles  A.  Young  to  the  chair  of  astronomy 
to  succeed  Professor  Stephen  Alexander.  Similarly  the 
erection  of  the  77  Biological  Laboratory  and  the  in- 
stallation of  the  Histological  Laboratory  bore  witness  to 
the  progress  in  biologic  studies,  and  the  reports  of  the 
I*],  il.  Museum  of  geology  and  archeology-  to  the  activity 
in  those  departments. 

Developments  like  these  obviously  could  not  have  been 
made  without  corresponding  increase  in  the  instructional 
staff  and  in  the  endowment.  The  ridiculously  small  en- 
dowment that  the  College  pos.sessed  has  already  been 
pointed  out.  In  1868  it  was  only  $476,000 ;  by  1879  it 
liad  been  raised  to  $985,000,  and  in  1888  it  amounted  to 
$1,443,000,  including  general  and  special  funds,  a  small 
sum  compared  with  the  endowment  of  other  places,  but 
still  a  large  advance  over  earlier  conditions.  The  criti- 
cism that  Dr.  McCosh  had  spent  his  money  on  externals 
instead  of  developing  his  faculty  was  not  based  on  fact. 
The  faculty  showed  marked  growth.  In  1868  it  consisted 
of  the  president,  nine  professors,  one  assistant  professor, 


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242 


THE  TRANSITION  PERIOD 


four  tutors,  two  "  teachers,"  and  three  extra-curriculum 
lecturers,  a  total  of  twenty ;  in  1876  it  consisted  of  the 
president,  fifteen  professors,  three  assistant  professors, 
six  tutors,  and  one  lecturer,  a  total  of  twenty-six ;  in  1888 
it  numbered  forty-one  beside  the  president  and  contained 
tliirty  professors,  four  assistant  professors,  three  in- 
structors, two  tutors,  and  two  assistants.  Similarly  the 
undergraduate  enrolment  showed  increase,  growing  from 
two  hundred  and  eighty-one  in  1868  to  six  hundred  and 
three  in  1888.  In  view  of  Princeton's  location  and  his- 
torj'  it  was  Dr.  MeCosh's  belief  that  her  future  lay  in 
the  preservation  of  a  great  coherent  and  unified  under- 
graduate body  with  an  inheritance  of  tradition  and  a 
love  of  Alma  Mater  to  carry  into  the  alumni  world.  lie 
therefore  insisted  that  sufficient  dormitory  accommoda- 
tion be  created  to  house  all  undergraduates  on  the 
eami)us  where  tlu'v  would  share  in  a  common  wholesome 
life,  and  where  tlieir  control  by  college  authority  would 
be  faeilitiited.  lie  was  not  able  to  keep  pace  with  the  de- 
mand, but  he  had  no  doubts  as  to  the  validity  of  his 
belief,  and  the  University  since  his  day  has  seen  no 
reiison  to  change  his  policy,  but  rather  every  reason  to 
emphasize  and  pursue  it. 

In  summarizing  the  original  prospectus  of  the  School 
of  Science  allusion  was  made  to  the  course  in  archi- 
tecture therein  proposed.  The  degree  of  bachelor  of 
atvhiti'cture  was  instituted  in  1876,  and  the  four-year 
course  leading  to  it  was  off.red  first  in  1878.  The  course 
was  based  on  the  fundamentals  of  th.-  bachelor  of  science 
curriculum  witli  a  uumber  of  technical  additions,  many 
of  which  under  th.'  circumstances  could  hardly  have 
avoided  thr  criticism  of  superticiality.  The  degree  was 
never  conferred  and  thf  experiment  was  abandoned  in 
three  years. 


NEW  DEGREES 


243 


Another  degree  new  to  Princeton,  that  of  bachelor 
of  divinity,  was  offered  first  in  1886  to  graduates  of 
the  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  who  had  pursued 
for  two  years  courses  of  study  prescribed  by  examiners 
appointed  by  the  board  of  trustees  and  had  been  periodi- 
cally examined  by  them,  one  of  the  two  years  being  spent 
in  Princeton.  The  degree  might  also  be  conferred  on 
^'raduates  of  the  Seminary  who  had  devoted  three 
years  to  theological  study  under  superintendence  of  ex- 
aminers appointed  by  the  board.  These  requirements 
were  changed  in  1887,  and  from  that  date  until  1899 
the  degree  was  open  to  bachelors  of  arts  of  any  approved 
college  who  had  completed  a  three  years'  course  in 
theology  at  any  approved  institution,  followed  by  a  two- 
year  course  of  prescribed  theological  study,  the  latter  to 
be  formulated,  and  all  examinations  thereon  to  be  eon- 
ducted,  by  examiners  appointed  by  the  board  of  trustees. 
The  fees  were  to  be  the  same  as  those  for  the  degree  of 
doctor  of  philosophy  or  science.  The  degree  of  bachelor 
of  divinity  was  never  conferred  and  in  1899  was  abol- 
ished. 

It  need  not  be  imagined  that  on  the  campus  Dr.  Mc- 
Cosh's  progress  was  all  easy  sailing.  At  the  outset  he 
encountered  much  of  the  old  inertia  in  the  faculty  and 
found  remains  of  old  discontents  among  the  undergradu- 
ates to  struggle  with  and  rectify  or  eradicate.  As  one 
of  his  pupils  has  said,  the  first  few  years  of  his  rule 
were  years  of  incredible  effort;  he  had  to  hew  his  way 
through  rock,  but  he  was  farsighted  and,  although  some- 
times impatient  in  manner,  was  endlessly  patient  in 
effort.  And  he  had  the  gift  whose  presence  had  long 
been  denied  a  place  in  Princeton's  councils,  the  gifl  of 
humor,  dry.  and  native,  and  often  unintentional,  but 
for  that  reason  only  the  more  welcome.     A  collection 


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244  THE  TRANSITION  PERIOD 

of  Dr.  McCosh's  quick  retorts  and  pungent  remarks 
would  be  a  treasury  of  apt  comment  and  shrewd  wit; 
and  many  of  the  most  entertaining  paragraphs  would  be 
those  he  least  would  have  suspected  of  boing  amusing— 
their  humor,  for  American  readers,  lying  in  the  situa- 
tion :  an  outspoken  and  somewhat  easily  roused  Scotch- 
man set  down  in  a  totally  foreign  environment.     Dr. 
Maclean  had  handled  his  problems  in  the  okl-fa.shioned 
ways,  and  by  his  lovable  character  and  his  kindliness 
had  earned  the  affection  of  his  pupils.    Dr.  McCosh  won 
their  loyalty  first  through  their  respect  tinged  with  a 
certain  amount  of  fear.    Ashbel  Green  speaking  of  Presi- 
dent Witherspoon  said  that  when  he  was  angry  "  his 
aspect  was  truly  awful  ";  Dr.  McCosh,  in  similar  cir- 
cumstances, with  his  magnificent  presence  and  the  deep 
vibrant  tone  his  voice  could  take,  seemed  like  the  tower- 
in     wrath  of  Heaven.     What  he  could  not  rectify  he 
SI  mped  out  by  sheer  will  power.    He  has  told  in  his 
fc^obiography  how  he  quelled  an  incipient  rebellion  and 
w  he  put  down  hazing— a  sensational  incident  which 
press  and  a  few  misinformed  alumni  did  not  fail 
t     iiscuss. 

His  fi^t  great  struggle  was  with  the  fraternities 
^  h,  ii  spite  of  the  pledge  exacted  from  every  enter- 
i.  _  8ti«  nt,  were  maintaining  an  illicit  existence  in 
(  oliegp  ^he  older  societies,  obedient  to  the  spirit  and 
1»  tT  r  e  pledge,  had  long  ago  given  up  their  char- 

tera,  b  ;t  with  a  casuistry  which  seems  indefensible  to  a 
later  ul  server  certain  younger  fraternities  persisted  in 
activity.  By  these  societies  pressure  was  sometimes 
brought  to  bear  on  trustees  and  benefactors  in  hope  of 
securing  exemption  from  molestation  by  the  authorities. 
Dr.  McCosh  had  been  warned  on  his  arrival  that  the 
influence  of  fraternities  at  Princeton  had  not  been  for 


f.uW'Hl 


FRATERNITIES 


245 


good.  In  fact,  leading  men  of  other  institutions  ex- 
pressed to  him  the  wish  that  the  colleges  might  combine 
to  abolish  fraternities;  but  no  other  college  had  the 
substitute  that  Princeton  possessed  in  her  two  ancient 
literary  societies,  and  the  united  effort  was  never  made. 
F]arly  enough  in  his  attempts  to  abolish  petty  abuses  Dr. 
McCosh  found  himself  confronted  with  the  united  oppo- 
sition of  the  fraternities.  Finally,  in  1875,  members  of 
the  fraternities  were  believed  to  be  combining  against  the 
rest  of  the  College  for  college  honors  and  the  whole 
matter  of  the  pledge  and  fraternity  activity  in  spite  of 
the  pledge  was  taken  up  by  the  Halls,  and  it  was  re- 
solved  by  them  to  support  the  authorities  of  the  College 
in  their  effort  to  uproot  the  interlopers.  It  was  no  secret 
that  some  of  the  societies  were  exerting  a  distinctly  bad 
influence,  and  to  them  the  degeneration  of  good  students 
was  in  many  cases  clearly  traceable.  In  1876,  after  an 
investigation  in  which  the  charges  were  fully  substanti- 
ated, communications  from  the  members  of  the  five  exist- 
ing fraternities  were  received  and  on  the  written  and 
signed  assurance  that  the  chapters  had  been  dis.solved  and 
would  not  be  revived  as  long  as  the  pledge  remained,  the 
faculty  reconsidered  the  vote  of  dismissal  it  had  passed. 
With  the  fraternity  question  definitely  settled,  discipline 
in  general  became  a  simpler  task.  It  is  true  that  by  no 
means  all  the  works  of  darkness  were  cast  off;  hazing 
itself  reappeared  in  milder  forms;  but  the  earlier  brutal- 
ities, with  the  deserved  but  undesirable  notoriety  they 
brought,  were  crushed  forever.  Undergraduate  hostility 
to  the  faculty  and  the  latter 's  schoolroom  attitude  to 
their  pupils  gradually  faded  into  insignificance;  rebel- 
lions and  barrings-out  were  relegated  to  ancient  history. 
The  spirit  of  lawlessness,  of  criticism,  and  of  dissatis- 
faction that  Dr.  IMcCosh  had  met  in  the  opening  years  of 


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246  THE  TRANSITION  PERIOD 

his  administration  passed  away  "  as  the  improvement  in 
the  organization  and  work  of  the  institution  became  evi- 
dent, as  the  paternal  character  of  severe  discipline  was 
understood,  and  as  the  fearless  march  of  the  president 
and  professors  toward  a  lofty,  invigorating,  democratic 
university   life   became   impressive.     Then   at   last  the 
Princeton  youth  became  a  pattern  of  loyalty,  an  enthu- 
siast for  tiie  college  which  in  lifting  itself  was  lifting 
him.    Idleness  banished,  work  well  regulated,  sport  sub- 
stituted as  far  as  possible  for  vice,  the  moral  responsi- 
bilitv  (luiekened  by  a  strong  faith— such  was  Dr.  Mc- 
Cosli's  theory  of  the  process  in  which  college  students 
with  all  their  imperfections  were  to  be  fitted  to  lead  the 
life  of  their  respective  communities  to  higher  things."* 
The  support  Dr.  McCosh  gave  to  athletics  and  physical 
culture  aided  him  enormously  in  this  direction.    It  was 
considered  a  notable  innovation  and  an  incident  worth 
recording  in  the  news  columns  of  the  Nassau  Literary 
Magazinl  when  he  made  his  first  appearance  at  a  college 
game.    The  introduction  of  annual  athletic  competitions 
such  as  the  Caledonian  Games,  the  gymnastic  exhibition 
in   connection    with   the    celebration   of    Wa.shington's 
Birthday,  the  institution  of  college  championships  in  one 
branch  or  another  of  sport,  and  the  beginning  of  Prince- 
ton's part  in  organized  intercollegiate  athletics  all  date 
from  his  administration. 

With  the  introduction  of  new  studies,  the  appointment 
of  new  professors,  the  erection  of  new  buildings,  and  the 
acquisition  of  new  and  enlarged  equipment  came  a  re- 
sponsive quickening  in  the  intellectual  life  of  the  student 
body.  To  put  the  matter  simply,  college  work  particu- 
l.rly  among  upperclassmen  began  to  acquire  a  more 
strious  manner.  An  especially  stimulating  innovation 
»  W.  M.  Sloane,  "  Life  of  James  McCosh,"  p.  246. 


OKGAXIZATION  OF  STIIDKNT  LIFE       247 

was  the  institution  of  vvliut  wore  calkHl  "  lihrary  meet- 
ing's "  held  from  time  to  time  in  the  president's  study 
and  addressed  by  leaders  in  the  acadoinie  world  or  by 
notable  men  outside  of  that  world,  to  whieh  the  best 
uppcrclassraen  were  invited  to  hear,  and  take  part  in,  dis- 
cussions of  living  problems.  There  was  on  the  campus  no 
lack  of  carefree  undergraduate  way  of  life— and  it  will 
be  a  day  of  ill  omen  when  tiie  Princeton  undergraduate 
Krows  old  beyond  his  years;  but  a  distinctly  maturer 
note  is  perceptible  in  a  survey  of  the  College  during  the 
second  decade  of  Dr.  McCosh's  administration. 

On  the  side  of  campus  life,  to  this  period  belongs  the 
founding  of  most  of  the  modern  systematic  student 
organizations.  lAIcn  were  finding  more  to  do  in  the  na- 
ture of  so-called  extra-curriculum  activities,  less  leisure 
for  petty  mischief,  and  less  unreasoning  desire  to  irri- 
tate authority.  Organizations  like  the  Dramatic  Asso- 
ciation (now  the  Triangle  Club),  and  the  Glee  Club, 
both  of  whieh  had  sporadic  predecessors,  the  Conference 
Committee  (superseded  by  the  Senior  Council),  and 
publications  like  the  Princetonian,  the  Tiger,  the  Nassau 
Herald,  and  the  Bric-u-hrat  began  lives  of  permanence 
and  usefulness.  Class  spirit  and  college  loyalty  became 
more  highly  developed.  The  first  can  be  carried  to  an  ex- 
treme, and  college  loyalty  has  its  critics;  but  to  these 
two  elements  in  the  campus  lift  of  Princeton  is  due  the 
strength  of  the  college  on  the  undergraduate  side  as  Dr. 
MoCosh  developed  it. 

R^^ligious  activity  in  college  was  likewise  invigorated 
and  systematized.  In  the  words  of  Dean  ]\Iurray,  Dr. 
M'-Cosh  persistently  sought  to  develop  the  Christian 
olt  mt-nt  in  eolleg-  life,  and  though  an  ardent  Presby- 
tfrian  by  dtx'p  etjnviction.  he  avoided  anything  which 
would  divert  attention  from  his  aim  to  make  the  college 


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248  THE  TRANSITION  I'ERIOD 

Christian  rather  than  denominational.    The  founding  of 
the  St.  I'nurs  Society  for  students  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  is  an  illustration.    Under  the  guMance 
of  the  rector  of  Trinity  Church,  the  Reverend  Alfred 
B.  Baker  (1861),  the  St.  Paul's  Society  began  during 
Dr.  McCosh's  time  its  long  and  useful  work.     Dr.  Mc- 
Cosh  began  the  practice  of  adiuiuistering  the  Holy  Com- 
munion in  chapel  at  the  beginning  and  at  the  end  of  the 
college  year.     The  opening  of  Marquand  Chapel  gave 
the  formal  religious  exiTcises  of  the  College  a  dignity 
and  a  setting  they  had  never  before  enjoyed,  and  the 
erection  of   Murray   Hall   as  the  headquarters  of  the 
Philadelphian   Society   prepared   the    way    for   marked 
practical  development  of  its  work.     From  it  went  out, 
for  example,  in  1877  two  of  the  leaders  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Intercollegiate  Y.M.C.A.  of  America,  Luther 
B.  Wishard  and  William  Libbey,  both  of  the  class  of 
1877,  and  in  18^(J  John  N.  Forman  (1884)  and  Robert 
P.  Wilder  (1886)  initiated  the  Student  Volunteer  Move- 
ment of  which  one  of  the  most  striking;  outgrowths  is  the 
"  Princeton  Work  in  Peking  "  whose  story  has  been  re- 
told in  a  recent  number  of  the  Princeton  Alumni  Weekly 
(February  11,  1914). 

The  transformation  that  was  going  on  in  the  life  of  the 
College  had  its  counterpart  in  the  larger  Princeton  out- 
side the  campus.  Alumni  were  beginning  to  take  an 
active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  College  in  a  way 
the  members  of  Dr.  :Maclean's  old  Alumni  Association  of 
Nassau  Hall  had  never  been  able  to  do.  Recognizing 
as  clearly  as  President  Davies  that  Princeton,  like  all 
privately  endowed  colleges,  must  depend  ultimately  on 
the  loyalty  of  her  alumni  and  on  their  financial  support, 
the  president  endeavored  by  every  means  to  keep  his 
graduates  in  close  touch  with  the  College,  and  to  culti- 


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ALUMNI  SOLIDARITY 


249 


vate  alumni  solidarity.  lie  founded  new  alumni  asso- 
ciations and  visited  them  in  the  interest  of  the  College, 
traveling  thousands  of  miles  to  report  on  the  progress  of 
affairs  at  home ;  and  he  made,  in  1886,  the  first  proposal 
that  the  alumni  should  appoint  a  permanent  advisory 
committee  to  consult  with  the  board  of  trustees  and  to 
make  recommendations.  His  proposal  was  not  adopted 
and  it  was  not  until  1900  that  a  plan  of  alumni  repre- 
sentation on  the  board  was  put  into  operation.  By  1886 
there  were  seventeen  flourishing  Princeton  alumni  asso- 
ciations in  existence  and  others  in  process  of  formation. 
To-day  there  are  forty-six  associations,  beside  the  parent 
Alumni  Association  of  Nassau  Hall,  now  in  its  eighty- 
seventh  year. 

No  Princetonian  will  grudge  Dr.  McCosh  the  credit 
due  him  for  this  enterprise  and  for  sowing  the  seeds  of 
what  has  become  a  distinguishing  feature  of  the  rela- 
tions of  Princeton  alumni  to  their  college;  but,  after 
all,  he  could  have  accomplished  little  without  the  aid  of 
men  who  were  willing  to  assume  the  actual  labor  in- 
volved in  bringing  these  relations  about.  The  Alumni 
Association  of  New  York,  later  incorporated  as  the 
Princeton  Club  of  New  York,  was  a  pioneer  in  this  work, 
having  first  fostered  alumni  interest  among  its  own 
members  and  then  having  stimulated  graduates  living 
outside  of  its  territory  to  follow  its  example.  And,  if 
it  may  be  said  with  the  fullest  appreciation  of  the  valu- 
able service  of  many  other  men,  to  no  one  in  the  New 
York  Association  did  more  work  fall,  or  is  more  honor 
due  for  the  existing  solidarity  of  Princeton  alumni,  than 
to  one  of  Dr.  McCosh 's  own  pupils,  a  man  whose  life  as 
a  graduate  and  as  a  trustee  has  been  the  representative 
example  of  unshaken  loyalty  to  Princeton — Moses  Taylor 
Pyne,  of  the  class  of  1877. 


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250  THE  TRANSITION  PERIOD 

Dr    McCosh's  most  ambitious  dream  remains  to  be 
mentioned.     He  had  intended  that  the  new  studies  he 
introduced  into  the  curriculum  should  be  eventually  so 
grouped  and  combined  that  they  would  result  in  form- 
ing the  stiuUum  gcncralc  of  the  traditional  university. 
He  believed  that  with  the  materials  available  he  could 
have  constructed  a  university  of  high  order.    Moreover 
he  was  confident  that  this  step  would  have  been  followed 
by  an  outilow  of  liberality  which  would  have  enabled 
him  to  give  the  institution  wider  range  of  usefulness  in 
both  the  undergraduate  and  the  graduate  departments. 
But  the  realization  of  this  dream  was  -^enied  him.    Old 
a-o  fell  on  his  willing  frame;  he  had  brought  the  Col- 
l""e   as  he  said,  to  the  very  borders,  and  he  left  it  to 
another  to  carry  over  into  the  land  of  promise.     Ad- 
vancing years  led  him  to  resign  in  1888.    Some  time  be- 
fore this  he  had  contemplated  the  step,  and  had  been 
induced  to  retain  the  presidency  by  the  appointment  of 
Professor  James  Ormsbee  Murray  to  the  deanship  of 
the  College,  thus  relieving  himself  of  the  disciplinary 
burden.    He  was  in  his  fifty-eighth  year  when  he  came 
to  Princeton,  and  his  years  as  president  had  been  years 
of  ceaseless  activitv   that  would  have   satisfied   a   far 
younger  man.     Until  his  death  in  1894,  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  days  in  Princeton,  a  presence  on  which 
undergraduates  who  had  never  been  his  pupils  gazed 
curiously  when  they  saw  him  in  his  seat  at   Sunday 
chapel  or  met  his  massive  stooped  figure,  with  the  great 
white  head,  under  the  arching  trees  of  the  Walk  named 
after  him.    If  Nassau  Hall  was  the  monument  of  Gov- 
ernor Belcher  and  President  Burr,  Dr.  :\IcCosh  had  but 
to  look  al)out  him  for  his  memorial;  it  was  the  ne;v 
Princeton  of  the  coming  century. 


VII 
THE  UNIVERSITY 

The  Administration  of  President  Patton.  Special  Students. 
TTigher  Degrees.  New  Buildings.  The  Honor  System.  The 
Scsquieentennial  Anniversary.  Tlie  Graduate  School.  Passing  of 
Ohi  Princeton.  Alumni  Representation.  I'pper-Class  Clubs.  The 
Administration  of  President  Wilson.  New  Course  of  Study. 
Senior  Council.  Preceptorial  Method  of  Instruction.  The 
"Quad"  Plan.  The  Graduate  College.  The  Graduat<>  Council. 
The  Inauguration  of  President  Hibben.  The  Constitution  of  the 
University. 

Dr.  McCosh's  successor  was  found  in  the  faculty. 
Born  in  Bermuda  in  1843,  educated  at  Knox  College, 
Toronto,  and  at  Princeton  Seminary,  after  brief  metro- 
politan pastorates  the  Reverend  Doctor  Francis  Landey 
Patton  had  been  called  to  the  chair  of  theology  at  Me- 
Corraick  Seminary,  whence  Princeton  Seminary  had 
taken  him  in  1881.  Since  1884  he  had  also  occupied  the 
chair  of  ethics  in  the  College. 

H.  was  inaugurated  at  commencement  in  1888,  the 
day  Dr.  McCosh  delivered  his  farewell.  During  the 
fourteen  years  of  Dr.  Patton 's  administration  the 
number  of  undergraduates  rose  from  six  hundred  and 
three  to  one  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty-four, 
while  the  faculty  was  increased  from  forty  to  one 
hundred.  During  the  same  period  seventeen  new 
buildings  were  erected,  of  which  seven  significantly 
enough  were  dormitories.  Although  it  is  too  soon  to 
estimate  at  its  proper  value  an  administration  which 
ended  only  a  decade  ago,  yet  it  will  be  seen  that  processes 
were  then  set  at  work  which  have  set  an  indelible  stamp 

251 


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252 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


on  Prinocton.  From  this  period,  for  instance,  may  be 
dated  the  modern  development  of  the  campus,  the  intro- 
duction of  the  English  collegiate  gothic  into  American 
university  architecture,  the  opening  of  the  School  of 
Electrical  Engineering,  the  introduction  of  new  entrance 
requirements,  and  the  revision  of  the  course  of  study 
along  lines  which  were  to  be  perfected  in  the  next  ad- 
ministration, the  stiffening  of  the  requirements  for  the 
higher  degrees,  the  adoption  of  the  honor  system  in 
the  conduct  of  examinations,  the  transformation  of  the 
alumni  body  into  an  intelligent  condition  of  organized 
co-operation,  the  erection  of  the  University  Library, 
the  celebration  of  the  sesquiccntennial  anniversary  of 
the  founding  of  the  College,  the  adoption  of  the  univer- 
sity title,  the  inception  of  the  Graduate  College  idea,  and 
the  grant  of  alumni  representation  on  the  board  of 
trustees. 

The  most  notable  step  of  progress  associated  with  the 
administration  of  Dr.  Patton  was  clearly  foreshadowed 
in  his  inaugural  delivered  on  the  afternoon  of  the  June 
day  when  Dr.  McCosh  recounted  the  work  of  his  twenty 
years  at  Princeton.  President  Maclean,  as  we  have  seen, 
had  continued  in  the  ways  of  his  predecessors  without 
any  attempt  to  reach  after  higher  or  more  adventurous 
things.  During  the  fifty  years  before  him  it  had  been 
tacitly  agreed  that  the  College  was  to  be,  like  the  original 
organ  in  the  prayer-hall,  "small  tho'  good,"  and  the 
ambitions  of  President  Smith's  day  had  long  been  lost 
sight  of.  It  is  doubtful,  as  Dr.  DeWitt  has  pointed  out. 
whether  in  organizing  medical  courses  and  in  opening  a 
law  school  the  authorities  had  really  foreseen  that  they 
were  making  the  experiment  of  an  American  university. 
These  projects  had  been  discarded  after  no  very  serious 
effort  to  develop  them,  the  theological  department  had 


>:?*•' 


UNIVERSITY  IDEA 


253 


boon  surrendered,  and  Dr.  Maclean  had  been  content— 
and  under  the  circumstances  wise— to  devote  his  energies 
lo  a  well-tried,  time-honored,  and  purely  undergraduate 
curriculum.  Then  came  President  :\IcCosh  with  new 
energies,  new  ideas,  and  enthusiastic  support.  On  the 
solid  though  moss-covered  foundation  bequeathed  to  him 
he  had  built  up  a  new  edifice  and  opened  the  gates  to 
higher  development.  He  had  introduced  new  and  vari- 
ous studies  with  the  intention,  as  stated  in  the  preced- 
ing chapter,  of  ultimately  forming  the  studium  generate 
of  the  traditional  university. 

The  plan  had  been  talked  of  repeatedly,  and  there 
was  no  surprise,  therefore,  that  President  J»atton  in  his 
inaugural  should  have  pointed  out  how  easily  and  rightly 
the  "  College  of  New  Jersey  "  might  in  the  near  future 
assume  the  title  "  Princeton  University."    The  grounds 
of  this  assumption  were  laid  down  more  completely  in 
the  official  record*  of  the  sesquicentennial  celebration 
some  eight  years  later.    Princeton  had  to  conform  to  the 
genius  of  her  history  and  grow  alorg  the  lines  that  had 
been  determined  by  her  past,  a  past  that  had  given  her 
a  traditional  university  constitution.    Her  true  future, 
therefore,  lay  not  in  developing  professional  schools  for 
the  pursuit  of  utilitarian  ends  but  in  upholding  the 
cause  of  pure  learning,  and  although  no  change  in  the 
terms  of  the  old  charter,  so  liberally  was  it  devised, 
would  have  been   necessary  to   enable  the   College   to 
assume  the  higher  title,  nevertheless  it  was  felt  that  her 
future  depended  on  improvement  and  expansion  along 
her  historical  lines  rather  than  upon  any  venturing  on 
a  scheme  of  radical  reconstruction.     The  rural  situa- 
tion of  Princeton,  the  only  place  in  America  where  so 

'  "  Memorial  Book  of  the  Sesquicentennial  Celebration,"  New 
York,  1898. 


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254 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


larpo  nnil  so  old  a  eollopte  was  to  be  found  in  a  village, 
rendered  it  admirably  suited  to  the  developincnt  of  a 
university  devoted  to  pure  learning  and  to  the  liberal 
aspeets  of  those  studies  whieh  underlie  and  help  to 
broaden  professional  and  technical  education.  The 
chief  emphasis,  therefore,  should  be  laid  on  the  enlarge- 
ment of  the  lil)rary  and  the  c(iuipment  of  laboratories, 
on  the  creation  of  new  d*'partments  and  the  strengthen- 
ing of  the  old,  on  the  estaljlishnu'nt  of  additional  pro- 
fessorships and  tlu!  creation  of  fellowships  and  graduate 
scholarships  for  the  furtherance  of  higher  studies,  and 
on  building  additional  dormitories  to  centralize  more 
completely,  and  thus  to  foster,  a  unified,  manly,  scholarly 
undergraduate  life. 

It  was  agreed  that  it  would  be  well  to  wait  until  there 
had  been  further  development  and  raising  of  standards 
along  these  lines  before  assuming  the  title  of  University, 
and  during  the  first  eight  years  all  the  effort  of  the 
administration  was  directed  toward  these  ends.     In  a 
notable  opening  address  to  the  College  in  September, 
1888,  the  president  made  it  clear  that  when  he  was 
thinking  of  the  Princeton  of  the  future  he  was  not 
solely,   nor  even   chiefly,   anticipating   the   erection  of 
buildings,  or  large  additions  to  the  number  of  under- 
graduates,  but   rather  of  the  opportunities   Princeton 
was  to  offer  for  doing  advanced  work  in  all  departments. 
He  felt  the  influence  of  the  thought  that  the  College 
had  been  quietly  getting  ready  through  Dr.  McCosh's 
administration  to  step  into  a  larger  life  and  that  the  talk 
about  the  university  idea,  of  which  so  much  had  been 
heard,  had  beneath  it  a  depth  of  sentiment  whieh  would 
produce  marked  results  during  the  next  few  years.    In 
other  words,  though  the  expansion  would  come  chiefly 
with  reference  to  graduate  work  and  higher  degrees,  the 


1  .  i 


REVISION  OF  CURRICULCM  2? 

first  and  main  function  of  the  Collej?e.  f?iven  its  histr.y 
and  traits,  was  so  to  eonduot  and  develop  the  instruc- 
tion leading  to  the  first  degree  that  there  would  l)e 
natural  progress  from  that  up  into  graduate  work ;  and 
tile  president  suggested  the  lines  along  which  this  ad- 
vance would  best  coine.  It  is  inten.-sting  to  note  that 
he  then  advocated,  that  is,  as  early  as  1888,  the  system 
<'f  "  assisted  electives  "  which  underlay  the  revision  of 
the  curriculum  in  the  next  administration. 

The  improvement  of  the  course  of  study,  the  first  step 
of  every   new  administration,    was   the   first   task   Dr. 
Patton's  faculty  took  up,  and  a  year  later  the  result 
was  adopted  by  the  board  of  trustees.    The  underlying 
principles  of  this  revision  were  briefly  the  preservation, 
in  required  studies,  of  the  essentials  of  a  liberal  educa- 
tion,   and   the    extension   of   opportunities   for   special 
work  along  the  line  of  the  student's  tastes,  by  a  decided 
increase  in  his  elective  studies  together  with  such  co- 
ordination of  the  latter  with  the  required  as  to  tend 
toward  intelligent  and  coherent  choice  on  the  part  of 
the  student.    The  vital  difference  between  the  last  prin- 
ciple and  the  one  underlying  the  revision  adopted  by  the 
next  administration  was  that  with  the  experience  of  the 
Patton  administration  it  was  possible  in  the  later  revision 
to  make  coherent  choice  on  the  part  of  the  student  not 
merely  feasible,  but  obligatory. 

In  June,  1889,  was  announced  the  opening  of  the 
School  of  Electrical  Engineering,  offering  a  course 
designed  to  furnish  instruction  in  the  theory  of  elec- 
tricity and  its  application  to  the  arts  and  industries. 
The  course  is  a  graduate  one,  occupying  two  years. 

A  vital  problem  which  affected  the  whole  matter  of 
standards,  was  meanwhile  awaiting  action.  Provision 
had  been  made  in  1874  for  graduates  "  or  others  "  de- 


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THE  UNIVERSITY 


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siring  to   d<'VOte  thomsolves  to  special  studios  in   the 
School  of  Science,  and  to  such  students  certificates  of 
proficiency  were  given  on  the  termination  of  their  work. 
In  1877  special  students  began  to  appear  similarly  in 
the  academic  department.    Xo  definite  regulations  gov- 
erning their  admission,  however,  were  formulated  until 
1883,  and  in  the  meantime  they  were  fast  growing  into 
a  large  and  heterogeneous  body  consisting  only  too  sel- 
dom of  graduate  devotees  to  particular  studies,  and  only 
too  often  of  "  others  "  who.  conscious  of  their  inability 
to  meet  the  regular  entrance  reiiuircments,  waived  all 
claim  to  a  degree  and  adopted  the  less  exacting  method 
of  entering  the  attractive  life  of  the  College  by  register- 
ing as  "  specials."     The  numbers  grew  until  in  1888- 
1889  one  student  in  every  nine  was  a  special.     Bad  as 
this  showing  was  it  did  not  compare  unfavorably  with 
that  made  by  several  other  colleges,   the  average   for 
twenty-five  institutions  in  the  Middle  States  being  at 
that  time  one  in  six.    The  obvious  task  before  the  new 
administration  was  to  eliminate  the  undesirables  and  to 
stiffen  the  backbone  of  the  rest.     An  adamantine  com- 
mittee was  placed  in   charge,   and  surviving   frequent 
accusations  that  it  was  totally  lacking  in  bowels  of  com- 
passion at  length  reached  the  position  forthwith  adopted 
by   the   authorities  that  special  students  of  only   two 
kinds  are  worth  retaining— genuine  special  students  with 
particular  (lualifications  and  aptitudes  who  earnestly  de- 
sire to  do  special  work,  and  are  rarely  found,  and  those 
men  described  under  the  present  Princeton  nomencla- 
ture as  "  qualifying  "  students,  who  must  either  make 
up  limited  deficiencies  within  a  set  time  and  thus  qualify 
in  one  of  the  four  cla.sscs  as  candidates  for  a  degree, 
or  failing  so  to  do  must  withdraw  from  College.     The 
former  swarm  of  seekers  after  sugared  knowledge  imme- 


IIKJIIEK  DEGKEES 


257 


(liatfly  found  insuperablo  barriors  erected  across  their 
mteiuled  entrance  into  the  University,  and  ceased  to 
knock  at  the  gates. 

The  next  step  toward  elevation  of  standard  was  to 
stid'cn  the  rcciuircnients  for  the  higher  degrees.     The 
U'{,'inning  of  a  systematic  administration  of  these  degrees 
was  found,  it  will  be  remembered,  in  President  McCosh's 
time.     Toward  the  close  of  his  administration   (1886) 
tile  whole  matter  of  university  degrees  was  reviewed, 
and  regulations  tending  to  raise  them  to  the  highest 
standards  were  adopted.     In  ]H!)2  these  were  subjected 
to  fresh  consideration,  and  such  improvements  by  way 
of  further  safeguard  for  the  master's  and  doctor's  de- 
crees were  incorporated  as  experience  dictated.     Since 
that  date  the  master's  degree  has  been  obtainable  only 
liy  bachelors  of  arts  or  science  who,  by  graduate  study 
and  appropriate  examination,   or  by  satisfactory   dis- 
sertation presented  not  earlier  than  three  years  after 
graduation,  have  earned  the  distinction.    The  doctorate 
ju  philosophy  or  science  was  likewise  so  additionally 
safeguarded  as  to  represent  on  the  one  hand  purely 
liberal    scholarship   and   on    the    other   proficiency    in 
applied  science.    The  doctoral  examination  was  stiffened, 
k'reater  definiteness  being  attached  to  the  major  subject 
and  the  two  minors,  an  effort  being  made  to  avoid  both 
the    danger    of    over-specialization    to    the    injury    of 
breadth  of  knowledge,  and  the  danger  of  superficiality 
due  to  too  great  comprehensiveness.     The  experiment 
of  accepting  non-resident  candidates  for  the  doctorate 
had  involved  so  much  labor  in  the  way  of  oversight  that 
It  was  deemed  expedient  to  discontinue  it,  there  being 
lio  safeguard  equal  to  university  residence. 

The  new  curriculum  carried  with  it  a  new  set  of  en- 
trance requirements,  which  were  reported  in  the  winter 


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TIIK  i:NiVi:i{SlTY 


of  lSl)'J-lcSl);{  and  went  into  ilVfit  in  the  following  Juno, 
their  cliii'f  ft-atun-  hfinj,'  a  niotlidciition  of  niinitnuin  ro- 
(luirt'nu'nts  of  all  cancliilati'S  aiul  the  introduction  of 
niaxiinuni  rcciuiriini'iits  intended  to  Rive  those  who 
showed  advanced  attainments  in  one  or  more  sul).jocts 
eorrcs{)ondinj,dy  ad\anecd  st;inirni>^  in  those  suhjeets. 

Meanwhile,  with  tins  j^encral  ^aisin^,'  of  standards  and 
modernizing?  of  the  eourso  of  study  the  College  had 
entered  on  a  seeond  era  of  ])uildin}jr.  In  tlie  autumn  of 
1888  the  77  liiologieal  Lal)orat<iry  was  opeiud.  followed 
in  188'J  by  the  erection  of  the  Electrical  Engineering 
Laboratory  and  the  Dynamo  Building.  In  18'J0  with 
due  eereniony  the  cornerstones  of  tlu'  present  marble 
halls,  replacing  ihc  old  wooden  buildings  of  the  forties, 
were  laid  by  Dr.  .McCosh  for  Whig  Hall  and  President 
Patton  for  Clio.  Two  dormitories,  Dod  and  Drown,  came 
in  quick  succession.  In  1891  the  Chemical  Labora- 
tory was  erected;  and  in  1892  Alexander  Hall  was  pre- 
sented as  a  suitable  convocation  hall  for  commencement 
exercises  and  for  all  large  university  functions,  ami  the 
Isabella  McCosh  Infirmary  was  erected,  named  after 
Mrs.  McCosh,  whose  tentlerncss  and  care  for  her  hus- 
band's "  boys  "  had  endeared  her  to  five  college  gen- 
erations. The  Brokaw  Memorial  Building,  with  itn 
locker-rooms  and  swinmiing-tank,  and  the  athletic  field 
south  of  it.  affording  much  needed  playing-grounds  for 
the  rank  and  file  of  undergraduates  not  on  the  university 
teams,  also  date  from  1892. 

The  winter  of  1892-1893  deserves  especial  notice,  be- 
cause it  witnessed  the  culmination  of  a  movement  which, 
more  than  any  other,  has  made  for  the  elevation  and 
power  of  public  opinion  on  the  Princeton  campus.  By 
degrees  an  examination  system  had  grown  up  whereby  it 
^vaR  taki-n   for  crrsmted  that  cheating  would  exist  and 


HONOR  SYSTEM 


259 


proctors  in  the  shape;  of  roll.  ^,-,.  j.oli.o  or  monilHTs  of  the 
fiiculty    kept    wuteh    duriiij^    i-xaminatiuns    In    d-tirt 
hrcaohos  of  the  conirnon  law  of  honesty.    It  must  he  con- 
f.ssi'd  that  frequently  the  ingenuity  displayed  in  the 
preparation  cf  surreptitious  aids  to  n'li.rtion  and  their 
use  under  the  verj-  noses  of  the  proctors  was  wortliy  of  a 
better  cause.    IJut  hesides  heinj,'  fundam.  ntally  otfensive 
{.roetorial  supervision  was  often  conducted  in  an  irri- 
tating way,  and  it  was  this  fact  rather  than  any  sudden 
outburst  of  high   moral   impuls.-  that   induced  certain 
leaders  of  eanipus  opinion,  in  January,  189;},  just  before 
midyear  examinatioas,  to  af^'itate  the  abolition  of  crib- 
bing and  with  it  the  abolition  of  proctorial  oversight  of 
examinations.    A  ma.ss  meeting  was  held;  editorials  in 
the  Vrincctonian  called  attention  to  the  hon^r  system 
111  vogue  in  certain  Soutliern  colleges  and  suggested  the 
possibility  of  putting  a  similar  system  into  operation  at 
Princeton;  and  a  petition  was  handed  to  the  faculty. 
The  latter  body  was  by  no  means  unanimous  as  to  the 
eGicacy,  or  indeed  the  feasibility,  of  such  a  system ;  but 
on   January    18,    1893,    the    following   resolution    was 
adopted,  and  has  remained  on  the  statutes  for  twenty 
years,  its  purport  becoming  a  vital  part  of  Princeton's 
tradition  and  the  University's  administrative  machinery : 

''  Whereas,  it  appears  that  there  has  been  a  strong 
and  growing  student  sentiment  against  the  practice  of 
cheating  in  examinations,  and  further,  that  the  students 
desire  to  have  the  examinationi.  so  conducted  as  to  be 
put  upon  their  honor  as  gentlemen  ;  Kesolvcd,  That  until 
due  notice  is  given  to  the  contrary  there  shall  bo  no 
supervision  of  examinations,  each  student  simply,  at  the 
end  of  ^is  paper,  subscribing  the  following  statement : 

/  pledge  my  honor  as  a  gentleman  that  during  this 
examination  I  have  neither  given  nor  received  assist- 
ance." 


i 

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260 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


The  first  examination  under  this  pledge  was  one  given 
by  Dean  IMurray  to  the  senior  class.    Members  of  his 
course  still  recollect  the  curious  shock  which  each  one 
felt  as  the  Dean  handed  out  the  question  papers  and 
then  quietly  remarked  that  the  examination  was  to  be 
conducted  under  the  honor  system  and  that  he  would 
therefore  leave  the  room.     From  that  date  to  this,  no 
examinrtion  at  Princeton  has  been  proctored.    The  effi- 
ciency of  the  pledge  is  never  questioned.     The  Student 
Honor  Committee  takes  the  position  that  not  signing  the 
pledge  gives  no  exemption  from  liability  and  that  the 
Princeton  undergraduate  is  on  his  honor  not  because  he 
has  signed  but  whether  he  has  signed  or  not.    The  rare 
violations  of  the  pledge  have  been  almost  entirely  con- 
fined to  underclassmen  but  recently  enterea,  or  to  men 
who  were  skeptical  of  the  jealousy  with  which  under- 
graduate opinion  guards  this  Princeton  institution.    A 
case  of  violation,  when  detected,  is  tried  'v  an  under- 
graduate court,  conviction  being  reported  to  the  faculty 
by  the  dean  of  the  College,  who  moves  the  dismissal  of 
the  culprit,  his  name,  however,  being  withheld  from  the 
record. 

Meanwhile  the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary 
of  the  signing  of  the  original  charter  on  October  22, 
1746,  was  fast  approaching,  and  for  over  a  year,  under 
the  general  superintendence  of  Mr.  Charles  E.  Green 
(1860),  chairman  of  the  committee  in  charge,  and  espe- 
cially under  the  energetic  and  fertile  direction  of  Pro- 
fessor Andrew  F.  West  (187-i),  secretary  of  the  com- 
mittee, plans  for  celebrating  the  occasion  were  in  process 
of  miking.  In  the  words  of  the  "  Memorial  Book  of  the 
Sesquieentcnnial  Celebration,"  it  was  felt  that  the  Col- 
lege might  without  loss  of  modesty,  and  indeed  by  way 
of  bounden  duty,  commemorate  her  founders  and  their 


''■S' 


■#  t 


SESQUICENTENNIAL 


261 

noble  aims,  her  sons  and  their  achievements;  that  she 
might  emphasize  and  avow  those  of  her  cherished  ideals 
that  had  worthily  survived ;  and  that  she  might  honor 
herself  by  entertaining  distinguished  guests.    Moreover 
trustees  and  faculty  felt  that  the  anniversary  would  be 
a  fitting  occasion  to  throw  off  old  disabilities  and  acquire 
new  powers,  and  that  the  time  had  come  for  a  great 
expansion  of  activity.    To  this  end  they  conceived  that 
the  celebration  should  be  not  only  retrospective,  but 
stimulating  and  broadly  comprehensive,  an  earnest  of 
future  improvement,  the  inauguration  of  better  oppor- 
tunity and  a  more  serious  and  reasoned  application  of 
Princeton's  own  well-tried  methods  in  the  pursuit  of 
old  and  honored  ends;  and  last  of  all  it  was  agreed  that 
no  better  occasion  could  be  chosen  on  which  to  bring 
to  realization  the  dream  of  Dr.  McCosh  and  the  ambition 
oi  his  successor,  and  assume  the  title  "  Princeton  Uni- 
versity."    Three  objects  were  therefore  paramount  in 
the  sesquicentennial  preparations;  the  raising  of  a  large 
tndowment  for  undergraduate  instruction  and  for  de- 
velopment on  the  university  side;  an  impressive  academic 
estival  to  mark  the  anniversary  of  the  founding;  and 
last,  the  formal  adoption  of  the  university  title.    In  due 
time  acceptances  of  the  invitation  to  be  represented  at 
tiie  celebration  were  received  from  over  a  hundred  uni- 
versities, seminaries,  and  learned  societies  at  home  and 
abroad;  and  it  proved  to  be  the  common  opinion  that 
njver  had  so  large  and  distinguished  a  body  of  scholars 
ot  international  fame  been  gathered  to  honor  such  an 
occasion  in  America. 

^^^The  festival  proper  was  held  on  October  20,  21,  and 
-^,  but  as  prehminaiy  to  it  six  courses  of  public  uni- 
V'Tsity  lectures  were  delivered  by  foreign  scholars  dur- 
ing the  week  preceding,  and  were  largely  attended  by  men 


.;' 


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262 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


of  distinction  throughout  the  country.  The  delegates 
from  European  universities  were  Professors  Johannes 
Conrad  of  Ilalle,  Wilhehn  Dorpfeld,  Secretary  of  the 
German  Archaeological  Institute  at  Athens ;  Henri  Mois- 
san  of  Paris,  Edward  B.  Poulton  of  Oxford,  and  the  fol- 
lowing, who  delivered  the  lectures  alluded  to :  Professors 
J.  J.  Thomson  (now  Sir  Joseph  Thomson)  of  Cambridge, 
Edward  Dowden  of  Dublin,  A.  W.  Hubrecht  of  Utrecht, 
Karl  Brugman  of  Leipsic,  Andrew  Seth  (now  Pringle- 
Pattison)  of  Edinburgh,  and  Felix  Klein  of  Got- 
tingen. 

On  the  morning  of  the  twentieth  the  exercises  were 
opened  with  a  sermon  by  President  Patton  on  "  The 
University  and  Religion,"  which  reflected  the  steadying 
touch  of  the  past  and  sounded  the  keynote  to  the  whole 
celebration.    The  afternoon  was  devoted  to  the  welcom- 
ing and  congratulatory   addresses,   President   Eliot  of 
Harvard  University  bringing  the  greetings  of  Ameri- 
can universities  and  Professor  Thomson  of  Cambridge 
those  of  European  seats  of  learning.     October  21  was 
alumni  and  student  day.    In  the  morning  a  Commemora- 
tion Poem  on  "  The  Builders  "  was  read  by  the  Rev- 
erend Henry  van  Dyke  of  the  class  of  1873,  representing 
the  Cliosophic  Society,  while  Professor  "Woodrow  Wilson 
of  the  class  of  1879,  for  the  American  "Whig  Society, 
delivered   an   oration  on  "  Princeton  in   the  Nation's 
Service."     That  evening  a  torchlight  procession  more 
than  a  mile  in  length  and  composed  of  over  one  thou- 
sand undergraduates  and  fifteen  hundred  alumni,  repre- 
senting every  class  but  two  from  1839  to   1896,  and 
headed  by  a  company  of  twenty-five  men  from  Yale,  was 
reviewed  from  the  steps  of  Nassau  Hall  by  the  President 
of  the  United  States  and  INIrs.  Cleveland.     Singing  by 
the  massed  alumni  .and  undergraduates  beneath  the  glow- 


m 


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OCTOBER  22,  1896  263 

ing  illuminations  of  Nassau  Hall  and  the  orange  lanterns 
strung  through  the  campus  elms,  closed  the  day 

The  exercises  of  October  22,   the  anniversary   day 
were  of  especial  dignity.    On   the  platform   of  Alex- 
ander Hall  sat  the  President  of  the  United  States,  tho 
Orovernor  of  New  Jersey,  and  beside  the  distinguished 
delegation  from  the  Old  World  a  press  of  scholars  and 
dignitaries  representing  all  the  leading  universities  of 
America.     The  supreme  moment  was  reached  as  Presi- 
dent Patton  rose  to  announce  the  endowment  and  the 
assumption  of  the  university  title.    Thanking  the  dele- 
gates and  visitors  for  the  honor  they  had  done  the  College 
by  their  presence,  he  stated  the  amount  of  the  gifts  that 
had  been  received  and  named  the  high  purposes  to  which 
they  were  to  be  directed,  and  after  brief  allusion  to  the 
further  hopes  and  plans  he  entertained  for  the  College 
he  came  to  the  chief  significance  of  the  day  and  the 
object  and  inspiration  of  the  entire  event,  ending  his 
brief  address  by  proclaiming  "  that  from  this  moment 
what  heretofore  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  has 
been  known  as  the  College  of  New  Jersey  shall  in  all 
future  time  be  known  as  Princeton  University," 

Prineetonians  who  were  present  will  never  forget  that 
moment.  "  Every  word  fell  clear  and  was  heard  in  the 
remotest  corners  of  that  densely  crowded  hall.  One  com- 
mon tide  of  emotion  swelled  and  rose  in  the  hearts  of 
the  alumni  of  the  old  College  of  New  Jersey  while  the 
President's  utterance  grew  louder  and  his  ;'oice  was 
thrilled  with  deeper  feeling  as  he  approached  the  climax, 
when  on  a  sudden,  with  one  magical  phrase,  he  called  to 
the  floods  and  they  obeyed.  Men  who  loved  Princeton  as 
the  home  of  their  hearts,  as  the  field  of  their  ideals  and 
their  hopes,  trembled  with  enthusiasm  as  the  moment  ap- 
proached—the  moment  of  moments  j  and  when  it  came 


I 


264 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


k>n  ^:,fu 


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^ 


they  leaped  to  their  feet  spontaneously  and  a  great 
shout  went  up  to  Heaven."*  Honorary  degrees  were 
then  conferred,  after  which  President  Cleveland,  who 
received  a  magnificent  ovation,  delivered  an  address  of 
impressive  dignity  and  noble  inspiration,  a  plea  for 
more  earnest  participation  by  educated  men  in  the 
political  affairs  of  the  nation,  which,  coming  as  it  did 
only  a  few  days  before  the  national  election  and  at  a 
crisis  in  the  national  history,  was  universally  considered 
as  a  direct  message  to  the  American  people. 

The  spring  term  of  1898  took  on  a  martial  tone  on  the 
outbreak  of  the  Spanish-American  War,  which  reminded 
older  men  a  little  of  Civil  War  days.  A  military  com- 
pany formed  of  undergraduates  was  drilled  by  Colonel 
William  Libbey  (1877)  of  the  faculty,  but  never  saw 
service  as  a  body.  A  few  men  left  College  to  volunteer 
and  a  number  entered  service  after  commencement.  The 
record  subsequently  prepared  by  Colonel  Libbey  and 
published  by  the  University,  entitled  "  Princeton  in  the 
Spanish- American  War  "  (Princeton  Press,  1899),  shows 
that  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  Princetonians  from 
classes  ranging  from  1856  to  1901  served  their  country 
at  this  time  in  various  departments  of  the  army  and 
navy. 

In  Dr.  McCosh's  plan  for  the  higher  development  of 
the  College  he  had  intended  the  graduate  department 
to  be  the  flowering  of  the  undergraduate  course,  a  de- 
partment devoted  to  liberal  arts  and  sciences  as  dis- 
tinguished from  technical  anci  professional  studies.  We 
have  seen  that  regulations  for  the  higher  degrees  had 
been  more  definitely  systematized  and  formulated  in 
1886,  and  also  that  in  1892  the  conditions  leading  to  the 

'  G.  M.  Harper,  in  "  Memorial  Book  of  the  Sesquicentennial 
Celebration,"  p.  150. 


Atta 


GRADUATE  SCHOOL 


265 


master's  and  doctor's  degrees  were  strengthened.  In 
11)01  the  graduate  department  was  organized  as  a  gradu- 
ate school  and  Professor  Andrew  F.  West  (1874)  was 
a[)pointed  dean.  Professor  West  had  become  secretary 
of  the  faculty  committee  on  the  course  of  study  at  the 
time  of  Dr.  McCosh's  last  revision  in  1886,  and  had  not 
only  taken  a  leading  part  in  each  subsequent  improve- 
ment of  the  curriculum  and  the  standards  of  scholar- 
ship, but  had  also  been  prominent  in  faculty  delibera- 
tions looking  toward  the  organization  of  graduate  work 
on  an  increasingly  higher  plane. 

The  Princeton  attitude  at  this  period  toward  higher 
degrees  was  stated  in  February,  1901,  at  a  meeting  of 
the  Association  of  American  Universities  in  substan- 
tially the  following  language:  in  regard  to  fellowships 
the  aim  was  to  give  them  to  men  sufficiently  rounded  in 
their  general  culture  to  be  likely  to  prove  of  more  than 
ordinary  usefulness  as  teachers  as  well  as  original  in- 
vestigators;  in  regard  to  the  doctorate  in  philosophy  the 
prerequisite  was  a  bachelor  of  arts  degree  from  an  in- 
stitution whose  academic  course  was  equivalent  to  that 
of  Princeton,  with  the  further  condition  that  the  candi- 
date  should  have  studied  a  sufficient  amount  of  Greek 
and  should  also  offer  as  one  of  his  subsidiary  subjects  a 
subject  in  philosophy,  the  conception  of  the  doctorate  in 
philosophy  being  that  it  implied  in  its  possessor  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  general  culture  which  had  continued 
beyond  the  time  at  which  he  was  graduated  with  the 
bachelor  of  arts  degree,  and  which  was  shown  in  the 
character  of  the  special  work  he  was  pursuing  for  the 
higher  degree  as   well   as  in  the  subsidiaiy   subjects 
offered.     It  was  believed  that  a   far  higher  type  of 
teacher  and  investigator  would  be  developed  by  empha- 
sizing the  elements  of  education  which  make  for  general 


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266 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


culturp,  than  by  roslricting  the  candidate's  attention 
oxclusivoly  to  his  specialty.  This  theory  of  the  higher 
degrees  was  in  evident  keeping  with  the  general  theory 
underlying  the  undergraduate  curriculura. 

Since  1901  the  regulations  governing  admission  to  the 
graduate  school  have  been  unified,  and  any  bachelor  from 
other  institutions  maintaining  standards  similar  to 
Princeton's  in  distinctively  liberal  studies  is  admitted 
on  diploma.  Admission  does  not  necessarily  imply  ad- 
mission to  candidacy  for  higher  degrees,  but  opens  the 
way  for  mature  students  who  may  wish  to  carry  on 
their  studies  without  thought  of  taking  further  degrees. 

The  only  degrees  now  given  at  Princeton  for  gradu- 
ate study  are  those  of  master  of  arts  and  doctor  of 
philosophy.  The  master's  and  doctor's  degrees  in  sci- 
ence arc  no  longer  conferred,  all  successful  candidates  in 
arts  or  science  receiving  the  same  master's  or  doctor's 
degree.  The  master's  degree  may  be  conferred  only 
on  candidates  who  hold  a  bai.-helor's  degree  from  Prince- 
ton or  another  approved  college  and  have  either  devoted 
at  least  one  year  exclusively  to  resident  graduate  study 
in  the  University  under  the  care  of  the  faculty  and 
have  passed  examination  thereon,  or  have  pursued  a 
certain  number  of  graduate  courses  in  the  University 
during  four  terms  and  passed  examination  thereon.  The 
subjects  which  a  candidate  for  the  master's  degree  pur- 
sues must  form  a  consistent  and  co-ordinated  body  of 
studies  and  arc  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  faculty 
committee  on  the  graduate  school. 

The  doctor's  degree  may  be  conferred  on  a  bachelor 
of  any  approved  college  who  has  spent  at  least  two  years 
exclusively  in  study  for  the  degree,  though  as  a  matter  of 
fact  in  all  but  the  rarest  cases  three  years  are  necessary. 
One  year  must  be  spent  in  residence  at  Princeton.  Can- 


X'Tm^'m^^vw^^s^^^ 


GRADUATE  COLLEGE  IDEA 


267 


(litlates  for  the  doctor's  degree  must  desifrnatc  the  sub- 
ject in  which  they  propose  to  do  their  work,  and  before 
they  come  up  for  final  examination  arc  expected  to  have 
aefjuired  a  broad  general  knowledge  of  that  subject  and 
a  comprehensive  knowledge  of  some  main  division  of  it. 
Moreover,  they  must  take  at  some  time  during  the  period 
of  their  graduate  study  a  series  of  lectures  on  the  gen- 
eral trend  of  philosophical  and  scientific  thought,  given, 
with  assigned  reading,  by  a  member  of  the  philosophical 
department.  The  usual  presentation  of  a  thesis  and  the 
passing  of  an  examination,  if  the  thesis  is  accepted,  com- 
plete the  present  requirements. 

Returning  to  IDOl,  coupled  with  the  idea  that  the 
frraduate  school  should  be  devoted  to  liberal  rather  than 
technical  studies,  was  the  further  idea  that  the  condi- 
tions surrounding  the  daily  lives  of  graduate  students 
jit  Princeton  should  be  re-enforced  and  elevated,  and  the 
satisfaction  of  the  double  purpose  pointed  directly  at  a 
residential  college  where  this  body  of  advanced  scholars 
would  mingle  freely  in  common  daily  association  with 
one  another,  not  leading  solitary  existences  scatt-^-red  over 
the  town,  but  securing  in  their  distinctively  graduate 
life  the  enriching  advantages  of  mutual  incentives  and 
community  of  intellectual  interests  coupled  with  an 
identity  in  mode  of  living,  advantages  obtainable  in  no 
other  way  so  well  as  in  residential  intimacies  like  those  so 
peculiarly  characteristic  of  Princeton  undergraduate  life. 
President  Patton.  at  the  sesqui^entcnnial,  had  called  at- 
tention to  the  desire  of  the  University  that  the  cndnw- 
ment  of  a  Graduate  College  might  be  secured  and  the 
spirit  of  such  an  institution  had  apparently  inspired  the 
eloquent  peroration  of  Professor  Wilson's  oration  on 
that  occasion.  The  conception  had  no  concrete  parallel 
in  America;  and  following  the  impetus  received  at  the 


.     4 


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A.°JiJlKllui 


268 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


scsquicontcnnial  the  records  both  of  the  faculty  and  of 
the  board  of  trustees  contain  repeated  evidence  that  its 
consummation  had  become  from  that  time  one  of  the 
accepted  and  foremost  desires  of  the  University.  The 
endowment,  however,  could  not  be  found. 

Meanwhile  the  need  of  more  buildings  for  undergradu- 
ate use  was  beinpr  slowly  met,  and  in  1896  two  dormi- 
tories, Upper  and  Lower  Pyne,  added  a  new  and  effec- 
tive architectural  note  to  Nassau  Street;  while  in  1897 
was    commenced    Blair   Hall,    whose   massive   entrance 
tower  turns  one's  thought  back  to  days  of  portcullis, 
moat,  and  drawbridge.    Two  years  later  Stafford  Little 
continued  the  line  of  Blair,  casting  a  wreath  of  low- 
roofed  collegiale  structure  at  the  feet  of  Witherspoon 
Hall.    In  1900  Dodge  was  added  to  Murray  Hall  and 
the  religious  interests  of  the  University  found  in  the 
twin  buildings  a  campus  home  adequate  to  their  grow- 
ing and  manifold  enterprises.     A  sorely  felt  want  was 
met  when  the  new  University  library  was  completed  in 
1897  and  adequate  room  for  proper  expansion  in  the 
mere  working  tools  of  research  was  supplied,  while  the 
Chancellor  Green  Library  was  transformed  into  a  read- 
ing and  working  room. 

The  changes  on  the  campus  were  but  a  reflection  of 
■what  was  going  on  in  the  personnel  of  the  faculty.  The 
closing  years  of  the  nineteenth  century  and  the  opening 
years  of  the  twentieth  saw  the  passing  of  many  of  the 
older  men,  the  ancient  landmarks,  as  it  were,  of  academic 
Princeton :  General  Karge,  soldierly  head  of  the  depart- 
ment of  modern  languages,  always  picturesque  and,  when 
his  old  battle  wound  was  disquieted  within  him,  as 
unacademic  a  character  as  ever  faced  a  college  class; 
Dr.  Shields,  the  philosopher  whose  gracious  courtliness 
and  broad  learning  made  him  a  beautiful  and  rare  ex- 


ij^iii^^sjg^fihi».jiyki^ 


THE  OLDER  MEN 


269 


ample  of  tht'  scholar  and   the   gontloman  of  the  old 
school ;  Dr.  Duffiild,  the  mathematician,  who  as  tutor  in 
hygono  years  had  been  the  first  to  break  traditional  ice 
and  associate  on  terms  of  friendship  with  the  graceless 
youths  he  was  supposed  to  rule  in  Nassau  Hall ;  Murray, 
the  quiet,  urbane  Dean  who  so  lived  down  the  unpopu- 
larity of  his  office  at  its  foundation  that  he  became  the 
best-loved  officer  of  the  College;   Schanck,   whose   lec- 
tures in  anatomy  and  experiments  in  chemistry  were 
an    age-long    delight    to    thoughtless    undergraduates; 
Orris  and  Cameron  in  Greek,  the  latter  a  painstaking 
and  laborious  servant  of  the  College  under  three  ad- 
ministrations;   Young   the   astronomer,    eminent   as   a 
teacher  and  investigator;  and  Packard  in  Latin,  who 
bore  the  gentle  air  and  calm  serenity  of  quiet  study— the 
passing  of  men  like  these  meant  the  gradual  fading  of 
an  older  Princeton  within  the  gates,  just  as  the  modern- 
izing and  improvement  of  the  town  withoi;*  meant  the 
vanishing  there  of  ancient  landmarks  and         acteristics, 
and  the  dawn  of  a  new  municipal  life.    A  .jrofessor  of 
the  more  modern  type,  whose  premature  death  in  1889 
was  a  severe  loss  to  Princeton,  was  Alexander  Johnston. 
He  had  been  called  in  1884  by  Dr.  McCosh  to  the  chair 
of  jurisprudence  and  political  economy,  and  during  the 
five  years  of  his  incumbency  had  made  a  name  for  him- 
self in  his  field.    His  successor  was  Woodrow  Wilson  of 
the  class  of  1879. 

The  slow  process  of  alumni  organization  which  had 
been  going  on  for  some  years  found  recognition  in  1900 
when  the  board  of  trustees  took  the  necessary  steps  to 
admit  to  their  number  alumni  representatives.  By  the 
plan  thus  sanctioned  all  graduates  of  not  less  than  three 
years'  standing  are  eligible  to  vote  for  an  alumni  trus- 
tee; and  none  but  a  graduate  of  ten  years'  standing  is 


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270 


TIIK  I'NIVKRSITV 


{'ligihlo  for  t'U-ction.  Then'  are  five  uliimni  trustees,  each 
serving  a  term  of  five  years,  one  heiiiR  elected  annually, 
and  all  bein^'  eligible  for  rc-tlietion. 

In  Jun<'.  V.)0\,  eertain  changes  were  made  in  the  en- 
trance requirenn-nts  whit-li  it  was  believed  would  modify 
their  rigidity  and  at  the  same  time  raise  their  staudi«rd 
without  increasing  the  tlilliculty  for  a  school  of  average 
equipment  to  prepare  its  pupils  for  Princeton.  With 
these  entrance  changes  certain  rcad.justments  were  in- 
Htitutcd  in  the  course  of  study  which  will  be  more 
properly  considered  when  we  take  up  the  history  of  the 
curriculum. 

One  result  of  the  large  growth  in  undergraduate  num- 
bers during  President  Patton's  administration  was  the 
development  of  the  upperdass  club  systeu).  Eating 
clubs  had  existed  at  Princeton  since  the  abandonment  of 
the  refectory  in  1856,  but  none  was  self-perpetuating 
until  the  founding  of  Ivy  as  an  upperclass  club  in  1879. 
It  was  followed  in  1886  by  the  University  Cottage  Club, 
and  during  the  years  1890-1001  eight  others  were 
formed.  At  present  there  are  sixteen  of  these  clubs 
with  a  membership  of  almost  eighty-seven  per  cent,  of 
the  upperclassmen. 

At  commencement  in  1902  President  Patton  resigned 
the  office  he  had  held  for  fourteen  years,  retaining  the 
Stuart  Professorship  of  ethics  and  the  philosophy  of 
religion,  and  shortly  afterwards  accepting  the  presi- 
dency of  the  Princeton  Theological  Seminary.  Pro- 
fessor Wood  row  Wilson  was  elected  his  successor. 
President  Wilson's  inaugural  address  in  October,  1902, 
entitled  "  Princeton  for  the  Nation's  Service."  was  the 
corollary  of  his  Sesquiccntennial  Oration.  The  latter 
had  recalled  the  "  memories  with  which  Princeton  men 
heartened  themselves  as  th^y  looked  back  a  century  and 


^-..:k:.; 


PRESIDENT  WILSON 


271 


u  half  to  the  foundiriR  of  th'  ir  college."  The  intention 
(»}■  the  inaugural  was  to  "  aasiss  our  present  purposes 
and  powers  and  sketch  th*;  creed  by  which  we  shall  be 
willing  to  live  in  the  days  to  come."  American  univer- 
sity education,  said  the  new  ^jn'sident,  had  for  two  gen- 
•  rations  laid  all  its  stress  on  specialization;  and  the 
world  of  learning  had  been  transformed;  no  study  had 
stood  still.  But  meanwhile,  the  preliminary  training  of 
the  specialists  in  the  general  foundations  of  knowledge 
had  been  neglected.  A  college  shoula  do  more  than 
m.rely  give  men  skill  and  special  knowledge  to  be 
bread-winning  tools;  it  should  also  give  them  "  elasticity 
uf  faculty  and  breadth  of  vision  so  that  they  shall  have 
a  surplus  of  mind  to  expand  not  upon  their  profession 
only  for  its  liberalization  and  enlargement,  but  also 
upon  the  '  •  '.Vr  interests  which  lie  about  them."  But 
l!ie  host  of  udies  that  a  modern  curriculum  offers  is 
confusing;  how  is  it  to  be  marshaled  "  within  a  com- 
mon plan  which  shall  not  put  the  pupil  out  of  breath? 
No  doubt  choice  must  be  made  and  made  by  both  faculty 
and  student,  only  the  former  must  make  the  chief  choice 
and  the  latter  the  subordinate."  This,  as  has  already 
been  pointed  out,  was  the  key  to  the  next  step  in  the 
revision  of  the  Princeton  curriculum,  leading  plainly  to 
the  introduction  of  a  system  of  advised  or  assisted 
clcctives. 

In  such  a  place  as  Princeton  "  we  have  charge,"  de- 
clared the  president,  "  not  of  men's  fortunes  but  of 
Ihoir  spirits.  This  is  not  the  place  in  which  to  teach 
men  their  specific  tasks  except  their  tasks  be  those  of 
scholarship  and  investigation ;  it  is  the  place  in  which  to 
teach  them  the  relations  which  all  tasks  bear  to  the  work 
of  the  world."  In  other  words,  his  plea  was  against 
technical  and  narrow  specialization  and  in  favor  of  the 


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272 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


general  liberal  education  by  which  Princeton  should 
aim  to  make  her  graduates  "  not  breadwinners  merely, 
but  citizens  as  well." 

This  was  the  traditional  Princeton  position  and  the 
inaugural,  therefore,  proposed  nothing  revolutionary  or 
strange.  No  time  was  lost  in  getting  at  the  course  of 
study  and  rearranging  it  along  consistent  lines  leading 
to  the  logical  outcome  of  compulsory,  coherent,  and  in- 
telligent choice  of  electives  by  the  student.  This  de- 
sideratum, which  had  been  at  least  one  of  the  intentions 
of  the  Patton  revision,  was  now  accomplished  by  group- 
ing the  teaching  staff  into  divisions  and  component  de- 
partments, and  arranging  the  course  of  study  within 
each  department,  requiring  the  student  at  the  end  of 
sophomore  year  to  choose  a  department,  the  course 
therein  being  so  controlled  that  he  could  not  give  his 
whole  attention  to  a  single  subject.  The  divisions  and 
their  departments  were:  philosophy,  containing  the  de- 
partment of  philosophy  and  that  of  history,  polities, 
and  economics,  the  latter  since  divided  into  two,  history 
and  polities,  and  economics  and  social  institutions;  the 
division  of  art  and  arehfcology,  containing  the  depart- 
ment of  art  and  arclutology  and  since  incorporated  in 
the  division  of  philosophy;  the  division  of  language  and 
literature,  comprising  the  departments  of  classics,  Eng- 
lish, modern  languages ;  the  division  of  mathematifs  and 
science,  formed  of  the  departments  of  mathematics, 
physics,  chemistry,  geology,  biology,  and  a.stronomy.  The 
plan  furthermore  carried  with  it  the  institution  of  a 
new  degree,  that  of  bachelor  of  letters,  planned  for  those 
students  who  sought  a  humanistic  training  without 
Greek.  This  made  it  possible  for  the  bachelor  of  sci- 
ence course,  which  such  men  had  hitherto  entered,  to 
become  more  truly  characteristic  of  *ts  name,  and  at  the 


STUDENT  SELF-GOVERNMENT 


273 


same  time  gave  men  whose  tastes  were  neither  scientific 
nor  classical  an  opportunity  to  secure  the  course  of 
study  best  adapted  to  their  needs. 

The  great  step  toward  student  self-government  taken 
in  the  introduction  of  the  honor  system  has  been  pointed 
out.  A  further  step,  though  of  less  important  effect, 
was  the  formation,  in  1904,  of  what  is  known  as  the 
senior  council,  a  later  form  of  the  defunct  conference 
committee,  an  organization  planned  to  furnish  the  high- 
est reward  of  merit  for  conscientious  effort  in  further- 
ing the  best  interests  of  the  University  and  its  under- 
graduate organizations,  and  also  to  furnish  from  the 
senior  class  a  representative  body  of  men  who  by  virtue 
of  their  diversity  of  interest  and  influence  may  be  able 
fairly  to  represent  the  sanest  phase  of  undergraduate 
opinion  and  to  form  a  link  between  undergj  aduates, 
faculty,  and  trustees  for  the  purpose  of  concerted  effort 
when  such  effort  is  necessary  and  advisable.  During  the 
past  eight  years  of  its  existence  the  aid  of  the  senior 
council  has  been  of  service  not  only  as  a  reflection  of 
tile  current  best  opinion  on  the  campus  but  has  often 
lielped  to  shape  that  opinion  in  the  correction  of  abuses 
and  in  bringing  students  and  faculty  into  closer  touch. 

The  framing  of  the  new  curriculum  of  corapulsorily 
coherent  elections,  was  closely  followed  by  a  second  and 
1  ven  more  important  innovation.  It  had  been  the  matter 
ol"  concern  for  some  years  that  with  the  rapid  expansion 
of  the  undergraduate  body  the  most  valuable  feature  of 
the  American  college,  namely,  the  close  personal  rela- 
lion  of  the  professor  to  his  students,  was  being  lost  to 
Princeton.  Lecture  rooms  were  crowded  with  men  whom 
the  lecturer  scarcely  knew  by  sight  and  still  less  by  name, 
and  no  administrative  machinery  save  the  unsatisfac- 
tory one  of  examinations  and  written  tests  had  been 


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274 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


devised  to  keep  cheek  on  the  work  done  by  students  ia 
such  courses.    Especially  w.is  this  true  of  the  large  and 
popular  lecture  courser's.    A\  ith  this  condition  confront- 
ing them,  thoughtful  niembors  of  the  faculty  had  cast 
about   for  a  relief.     The   Oxford  tutorial  system  had 
naturally  suggested  itself,  and  the  possibility  of  grafting 
some  such  institution  on  to  the  American  lecture  system 
had  been  the  subject  of  frequent  and  informal  discus- 
sion for  two  or  three  years  before  the  close  of  President 
Patton's  administration.    In  the  summer  of  1902  Dean 
West,  being  sent  abroad  in  the  interests  of  the  graduate 
college  project,  was  also  commissioned  by  the  president 
to    make     •    first-hand    study    of   the    Oxford    tutorial 
method.     Us9  of  the  information  thus  gathered  was  not 
made  until  the  rearrangement  of  the  course  of  study  was 
completed.    But  in  1905  a  new  academic  phrase  puzzled 
the  educational  world  when  it  learned  that  Princeton 
was  about  to  put  into  operation  what  was  called  the 
"  preceptorial  system."  since  better  named  the  "  pre- 
ceptorial method,"  of  instruction,  and  had  added  to  her 
faculty  forty-seven  new-  men  with  the  rank  of  assistant 
professor  and  the  special  function  of  "  preceptor."    Of 
these  forty-seven  men  added  at  a  stroke  to  the  voting 
members  of  the  faculty,  eleven  were  already  instructors 
at    Princeton,    thirty-six    were   newcomers,    nine    were 
Princetonians,   five   were    graduates   of   Yale,    four   of 
Michigan,  and  two  each  from  Harvard.  Williams.  Dart- 
nouth,   and  Iowa,   the   rest  scattering  among  twenty 
other  colleges.     The  appointments  were  made  for  five- 
year  terms.    In  1906  nine  more  assistant  professors  with 
precept'^rial  function  were  appointed.     The  absorption 
of  so  many  and  various  men.  who  for  the  most  part  had 
no  afliliation   with  or  previous  interest  in  Princeton, 
speaks  well  for  the  powers  of  assimilation  that  Princeton 


'.I  ^1 


'J  ^ 


PRECEPTORIAL  METHOD 


275 


possessed,  and  for  the  spirit  of  adaptability  which  the 
newcomers  showed. 

The  preceptorial  method  was  in  the  nature  of  an  ex- 
periment ;  it  was  an  endeavor  to  restore  to  a  large  body 
of  undergraduates  the  advantages  of  persoif.l  relations 
with  their  teachers,  which  advantage  only  the  small  col- 
lege  was  supposed  now  to  afford.  But  it  aimed  also  to 
do  more  than  this.  Its  chief  object  as  President  Wilson 
wrote,'  when  describing  the  plan  before  its  initiation, 
was  ' '  to  give  undergraduates  their  proper  release  from 
being  schoolboys,  to  introduce  them  to  the  privilege  of 
maturity  and  independence  by  putting  them  in  the  way 
f  of  doing  their  own  reading  instead  of  getting  up  lectures 

or  lessons."    Lectures  were  by  no  means  to  be  given  up, 
but  the  major  stress  was  to  be  laid  on  the  reading  a  stu- 
dent would  do  for  himself  in  the  general  field  of  his  lec- 
tures.    This  reading  would  be  assigned  from  week  to 
week,  and  in  conferences  with  his  preceptors,  who  might 
be  any  members  of  the  departments  wherein  the  lectures 
fell,  this  reading  would  be  discussed  or  a  report  on  it 
would  be  read  and  criticised.     These  conferences  were 
to  be  held  for  the  most  part  in  the  preceptor's  study, 
although  many  of  them,  as  it  turned  out,  were  held  in 
the  specially  provided  "  preceptorial  rooms  "  in  McCosh 
Hall ;  they  were  to  be  absolutely  informal ;  they  were  not 
to  bo  recitations;  no  marks  were  to  be  given;  no  ab- 
sences charged ;  but  from  the  conferences  the  preceptor 
was  to  form  his  opinion  of  the  way  in  which  his  men  were 
doing  their  reading  and  his  opinion  was  to  enter  pre- 
dominantly into  the  decision  of  final  grades.    The  method 
was  not  to  be  one  of  coaching  or  tutoring  for  examina- 
tions, but  an  attempt  to  get  undergraduates  to  read, 
mark,  learn  and,  most  itnportant  of  all,  inwardly  to 
*  The  Independent,  August,  1905, 


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276 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


digest  what  they  read.  Obviously  the  success  of  such  a 
method  of  instruction — or  better,  of  study — depended, 
and  must  ever  depend,  on  the  caliber  of  the  men  con- 
ducting it. 

The  attitude  of  the  undergraduate  toward  the  new 
"  preceptor  guys  "  brought  to  Princeton  "  to  make 
us  wise,"  as  the  latest  verse  of  the  "  Faculty  Song  " 
cheerfully  expressed  it,  was  altogether  admirable,  with 
a  tou'  h  of  resignation  about  it  that  was  at  times  amus- 
ing. Princeton,  it  was  lamentingly  said,  had  become 
nothiig  but  an  educational  institution.  But  the  method 
made  a  h't,  it  was  at  once  a  success  and  has  remained 
an  integral  and  now  indispensable  feature  of  Princeton 
instruction.  As  a  working  instrument  it  still  needs 
much  adjustment  and  oversight,  dependent  9"  't  is  on 
both  sides  of  a  personal  equation ;  but  of  its  fun*.' h mental 
efficacy  there  is  no  longer  any  grave  doubt.  Its  most 
serious  limitation  is  its  extreme  costliness.  In  an  eager- 
ness to  make  the  experiment,  it  was  put  into  operation 
before  its  endowment  was  provided,  and  its  maintenance 
has  therefore  remained  the  cause  of  large  annual  deficits 
which  private  generosity  alone  has  enabled  the  Univer- 
sity to  meet. 

The  report  of  the  dean  of  the  graduate  school  on  the 
proposed  graduate  college,  printed  in  1903,  shortly  afte^ 
his  return  from  Europe,  with  the  imprimatur  of  the 
board  of  trustees  and  an  introductory  note  by  the  presi- 
dent, constituted  the  first  complete  statement  of  the 
project  that  had  appeared.  It  called  for  three  essen- 
tials, a  body  of  well-endowed  professorships  as  the  one 
true  fouHdation  on  which  the  graduate  college  should  be 
built,  a  system  of  fellowships  to  secure  a  nucleus  of 
picked  students  for  such  professors,  and  finally  build- 
ings of  proper  dignity  and  comfort   for  the  material 


EXPERLMP:XTAL  graduate  college   277 

l:oinc  in  which  this  community  of  scholars  should  hvell  * 
Tiie  plan  outlined  in  this  report  was  the  only  one  ever 
I.roposed;  It  was  uniformly  referred  to  with  indorse- 
incnt  and  support  by  the  president  and  trustees  in  the 
olhcial  documents  of  the  University  for  the  next  six 
y.ars.     For  the  time  being,  since  funds  were  lacking 
wherewith  to  proceed  to  the  full  scale  proposed,  an  ex- 
perimental graduate  college  was  begun  in  1905  when 
■■  Merwick,"  a  substantial  private  residence  in  Prince- 
Um    was  secured  for  the  housing  of  at  least  a  dozen 
graduate  students,  with  accommodation  for  twice  that 
number   at    table.     Though    comparatively    small    and 
thc-refore  wholly  insufficient  for  even  those  students  al- 
ready in  the  graduate  school,  nevertheless  this  house 
was,  in  the  language  of  President  Wilson's  annual  re- 
port for  1905,  at  least  "  a  sure  prophecy  of  the  Graduate 
(College  for  which  we  so  eagerly  hope  as  th.  crowning 
distinction  of  Princeton's  later  development  as  a  Uni- 
versity. ' ' 

"  Merwick  "  was  indeed  a  prophecy,  for  three  months 
of  1905  had  hardly  elapsed   when  the  deach  of  Mrs. 
-losephine  Thomson  Swann,  of  Princeton,  brought  to  tli." 
Tiiiversity  in  which  she  had  been  interested  for  more 
tlian  half  a  century  a  bequest  of  over  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars  for  the  inject,  to  be  expended  in  a 
residential  hall  to  be  known  as  Thomson  College.    This 
was  the  first  actual  step  toward  the  materiality  of  which 
tlie  idea  had  been  in  the  air  for  a  decade.     It  seemed, 
tlierefore,  that  some  definite  progress  were  now  in  sight ; 
ii"«l  when  in  October  Dean  Wt.st  received  a  call  to  the 
pi-.-^idency  of  the  :\rassaehusetts  Institute  of  Teelmology, 
It  was  intimated  to  him  by  a  resolution  -  of  tlie  board 

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278  THE  UNIVERSITY 

of  trustees  that  his  services  were  being  counted  on  to 
"  put  into  operation  the  Graduate  College  which  he 
conceived  and  for  which  the  Board  has  planned,  '  and 
accordingly  the  call  was  declined. 

Tkleanwhile  through  the  agency  of  a  generous  bequest 
from  the  descendants  of  Nathairel  Fitzllandolph,  donor 
of  the  plot  on  which  Nassau  Hall  was  erected,  the  old 
pravcr-hall  has  been  remodeled  as  a  council  chamber 
for' the  meetings  of  the  University   Faculty^     At   its 
formal  opening  in  November  of  this  year  (1906)    Ex- 
President  Cleveland,  who  had  for  five  years  past  been 
an  active  trustee  of  the  University,  made  an  address 
from   which  the   following   passage   will   illustrate   the 
mood  of  the  occasion,  and  at  the  same  time  show  how 
earnestly  Mr.  Cleveland  had  entered  into  the  spirit  ot 
the  universitv  that  had  adopted  him : 

"  I  almost  fear  to  speak  here  lest  I  may  by  some 
ill-selected  word  or  ill-considered  thought  disturb  the 
spell  created  by  the  associations  of  this  place      I  am 
profoundly   impressed  by  the  thought  that  the  spirit 
which   built    our   nation    and    which   in   revolutionary 
davs  was  here  more  than  a  visitant  has  not  altogether 
departed,  and  that  the  consecration  of   :his  room  by 
the  apostles   of  liberty  and  free  government   has  not 
faded  away.    This  spirit  and  this  consecration  span  the 
chasm  of  more  than  a  century  of  years  and  by  mys- 
terious  guidance  make  easy  the  journey  of  our  thought 
to   the   time    when   Washington   and   other   immortals 
within  these  walls  watched  and  nurtured  the  promise  of 
a  new  Republic    To  recall  these  things  is  to  ™^ber 
that  we  lo  have  gathered  in  Nassau  Hall  to-day  hold 
in  trust  her  precious  traditions   and  her  heritage  of 
splendid  patriotism.  .  .  .  From  these  conditions  arises 
an  inescapable  duty.       his  room  had  b.-n  man^-u 


If » 


*Im)0\.*»  ..___. -fc 


QUAD  PLAN 


279 


hotter  suit  the  use  of  the  University;  but  its  spirit  and 
atmosphere,  derived  from  its  distinguished  past,  cannot 
be  changed  without  unfaithfuhiess.  The  teachers  that 
meet  in  this  room  for  counsel  may  adopt  improved  meth- 
ods of  education;  but  they  cannot  without  recreancy 
cliange  the  current  or  purpose  of  Princeton's  teach- 
ing." 

The  Univei-sity  stepped  from  grave  to  gay  on  the 
next  occasion  of  its  gather." ng  together,  when  less  than 
a  month  later  (December  5,  1906)  a  very  different  scene 
took  place,  and  Alexander  Hall  was  packed  to  the  roof 
with  a  cheering  mass  of  undergraduates  to  witness  the 
formalities  connected  with  the  opening  of  Lake  Car- 
negie, whose  slow  evolution  from  a  dismal  swamp  parted 
by  a  sluggish  stream  they  had  been  impatiently  watch- 
ing for  the  past  two  or  three  years.  No  gift  to  Princeton 
since  the  Bonner-Marquand  Gymnasium  had  evoked  so 
much  student  enthusiasm,  and  the  cheers  and  singing 
that  welcomed  the  donor  when  he  appeared  on  the  plat- 
form to  present  the  deeds  were  emphatic  in  their  ap- 
proval. 

Later  in  the  same  month  the  president  submitted  to 
the  board  of  trustees  a  statement  in  regard  to  the  in- 
tellectual and  social  reorganization  of  the  University, 
at  which  he  had  hinted  a  year  earlier  in  an  address  be- 
fore an  alumni  association;  and  a  committee,  of  which 
he  was  chairman,  was  appointed  to  consider  his  state- 
ment and  to  report  thereon.  In  June,  1907,  the  report 
was  presented,  and  on  its  publication  in  the  commence- 
ment number  of  the  Alumni  Weekly  became  the  one  ab- 
sorbing topic  of  discussion  among  Princetonians  during 
tlie  summer  and  autumn.  The  scheme  for  "  social  co- 
ordination "  contained  in  this  report  was  commonly 
known  as  the  "  quad  plan  "  and  contemplated  the  group- 


-  ';^ 

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; 

280  THE  UNIVERSITY 

ing  of  tlio  dormitorifs  of  the  University,  with  sueh  addi- 
tional  buiklings  as  might  hv  nceessary,  into  a  number  of 
units  or  (luadraugles.  In  tliese  "  quads,"  eaeh  eonsisting 
of  its  own  dormitories,  dining  halls,  and  common  rooms, 
the  four  undergraduate  classes  and  also  members  of  the 
faculty  were  to  reside  and  take  tlieir  meals,  the  under- 
graduates  being  assigned  to  their  "  (luads  "  by  a  faculty 
officer  or  committee.     In  a  memorandum  issued  to  the 
presidents  of  the  upper-class  clubs,  organizations  vitally 
concerned  in  the  plan  since  it  meant  cither  their  ab- 
sorption or  their  extinction,  although  declared  not  to  be 
aimed  at  them,  the  president  outlined  the  objects  of  the 

plan  as  follows :  *  ,?       i      • 

•'  First,  to  place  unmarried  members  of  the  faculty  in 
residence  in  the  quads  in  order  to  bring  them  into  close, 
habitual,  natural  association  with  the  undergraduates, 
and  so  intimately  tie  the  intellectual  and  social  life  of 
the  place  into  one  another;  second,  to  associate  the  four 
classes  in  a  genuinely  organic  manner  and  make  of  the 
University  a  real  social  body,  to  the  exclusion  of  cliques 
and  separate  class  social  organizations;  third,  to  give  the 
University  the  kind  of  common  consciousness  wl.oh  ap- 
parently 'comes  from  the  closer  sorts  of  social  con^o^t 
to  be  had  only  outside  the  classroom,  and  most  easily  to 
be  got  about  a  common  table,  and  in  the  contacts  of  a 
common   life."      The   administrative   details,   said   the 
president,  had  been  "  in  large  part  thought  out,"  but 
they  were  not  issued,  as  he  wished  them  to  be  subject  to 
change  in  his  own  mind.     The  general  discussion  that 
took  place  in  alumni  circles,  in  the  press,  and  even  in 
Princeton  itseL,  was  therefore  largely  in  the  dark;  but 
it  was  admitted  by  the  president  that  the  project  would 
require  a  capital  of  at  least  two  millions  of  dollars  for 
^  Pnnceion  Alumni  Weekly,  June  12,  1907. 


GRADUATE  COUNCIL 


281 


(lining  halls  and  common  rooms,  no  part  of  which  sum 
was  as  yet  forthcominpr.' 

Mt'anwhile,  the  financial  obligations  incurred  hy  the 
installation  of  tha  preceptorial  method  were  still  depend- 
ing on  private  subscriptions  for  their  satisfaction,  and 
the  endowment  of  the  long-standing  graduate  college 
project  remained  unprovided  for. 

At  the  October  (1907)  meeting  of  the  board  the 
"  quad  "  plan  was  withdrawn  and  the  special  commit- 
tee on  "  social  co-ordination  "  was  discharged. 

In  the  spring  of  1908  the  site  of  Thomson  College, 
tlie  residential  hall  for  graduates  as  provided  for  by 
the  will  of  Mrs.  Swann,  was  selected  in  the  grounds  of 
Prospect,  the  official  residence  of  the  president  of  the 
University.  It  was  pretty  generally  conceded  that  thi.s 
choice  was  not  an  especially  happy  one,  since  it  would 
necessitate  the  re-location  of  Prospect  itself,  would  tend 
to  crowd  that  quarter  of  the  campus,  and  probably 
hamper  expansion.  Nevertheless,  no  better  site  seemed 
just  then  to  be  available.  Tho  becjuest  was  obviously 
q.iite  inadequate  to  carry  out  the  full  plans  of  the 
graduate  college,  and  furthermore  provided  no  endow- 
ment for  the  building  it  proposed.  No  steps  were  taken, 
therefore,  to  give  its  terms  immediate  effect. 

At  this  time  the  "Committee  of  Fifty."  a  special  com- 
mittee of  alumni  appointed  in  1904  to  collect  funds 
to  meet  the  heavy  burden  of  tiie  preceptorial  method, 
had  suggested  that  steps  be  taken  looking  toward  a 
more  effective  organization  and  toward  a  broader  ac- 
tivity than  merely  that  of  a  co/'-eting  agency.  During 
the  four  years  of  its  existence  the  committee  had  paid 
otT  an  annual  deficit  averaging  one  liundred  and  twenty 

'  Letter  to  A.  C.  Imbrie,  Princeton  Alumni  Wcekh/,  Rent.  25, 


'I. 


k 


4  . 


l'^   ' 


i'  I  ft. 


'^^ 


:l 


1    *'     l?l 


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■  i 


m 


t ;  I 


282  THE  UNIVERSITY 

thonsan.l  dollars  nn.l  had  Rocur.d  pledges  or  paid  up 
cifts  of  over  six  hundred  thousand  dollars,     \\ith  the 
approval  of  the  hoard  of  trustees  it  was  reorganized 
in  the  ^princ  of  V.m  as  the  "  Graduate  Council      with 
a  eharter  and  by-laws,  and  suh-<.(,innntteos  to  assume  its 
financial  lahor  and  to  h.lp  to  keep  it   in  '"lo-    ««?^^; 
with   the    aluniiii.   with   the   undergraduates,   with   the 
preparatory-  schools  and  with  the  public.     The  couned 
subsequently  received  th.'  grant  of  direct  approach  to 
the  board  of  trustees. 

To  sum  up  the  progress  made  during  the  seven  years 
from  1902  to  1909.  the  internal  discipline  and  rules  ot 
administration  had  been  stiffened,  a  carefully  devised 
course  of  studv  based  on  the  Princeton  theory  of  practi- 
oallv  required'  underclass  years  followed  by  two  years 
of  a  coherent  and  assisted  elective  system  had  been  in- 
stalled, an  effective  method  of  in.struction  had  been  in- 
trodueed,  the  teaching  force  had  been  greatly  strength- 
ened  the  library  equipment  had  been  increased,  honors 
courses   had   been   instituted   in   mathematics,   physics, 
and  the  classical  humanities,  McCosh  Hall  contaming 
recitation  and  lecture  rooms  had  been  erected    as  well 
as  the  great  g>-mnasium  and  the  well-appomtcd  labora- 
tories in  natural  and  physical  sciences,  Guyot  Hall,  and 
Palmer  Laboratory,   the   Faculty   Room   had  been   re- 
modeled and  given  a  dignity  worthy  of  the  historic  as- 
sociations of  the  apartment,  while  Holder.  Patton,  Blair 
extension,  the  Seventy-Nine  and  Seventy-Seven  d.rnu- 
orS  had  been  erected.  Lake  Carnegie  had  been  con^ 
structed.  and  acquisitions  to  the  campus  had  extended 
it  from  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  to  six  hundred^ 
During  this  period  of  feverish  activity,  over  four  and 
.  quarter  millions  had  been  received  by  the  University, 
of  which  sum.  roughly  speaking,  only  $2,400,000  hart 


GROWTH 


283 


f,'ono  into  ondowmont,  inclmlinK  dormitork'S ;  buildinRs 
not  produoinfj  incoinc  had  ('<)st  $1,700,(100,  mUlitioiml 
campus  !{ilOO,000,  and  laboratory  equipment  .$80,000. 
Tlirouj?h  the  graduate  council  the  aluiiuii  were  con- 
tributing annually  approximately  $100,000  ♦'or  current 
cxpinsos,  or  nearly  what  the  preceptorial  method  was 
costing.  The  non-prodiutive  buildings  required  $40,000 
a  year  for  maintenance,  and  the  upkeep  of  the  campus 
was  an  increasing  expen.sc.  The  faculty  had  grown 
from  one  hundred  and  eight  in  1002  to  one  hundred  and 
sixty-nine  in  1901).  most  of  the  growth  occurring  in  one 
year,  whih-  the  student  body  during  the  same  period  had 
fallen  off  from  one  thousand  three  hundred  and  eighty- 
three  in  1902  to  one  thousand  three  hundred  and  fourteen 
in  1909. 

In  May,  1909.  :\Ir.  William  Cooper  Procter,  a  grad- 
uate of  the  class  of  1883,  made  an  offer  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  grad- 
uate college  on  condition  that  an  equal  amount  should 
be  raised  within  a  year  and  that  some  other  site  than 
Prospect  be  selected  which  would  be  mutually  agree- 
able. Not  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  dollars 
of  the  Procter  gift  was  to  be  expended  in  buildings, 
the  balance  being  designed  for  endowment  of  fellow- 
ships. This  offer  being  materially  related  to  the  Thom- 
son College  bequest,  the  board  of  triistecs  in  October, 
1909,  rescinded  its  action  of  April.  1908.  and  voted  in 
favor  of  a  site  on  the  edge  of  the  university  golf  links. 
Sharp  differences  of  opinion,  however,  arose  as  to  this 
location,  and  before  long  as  to  the  whole  graduate  eol- 
kge  idea,  and  the  reception  of  :\Ir.  Procter's  offer  not 
having  been  such  as,  in  his  opinion,  to  promise  the  use- 
fulness he  had  hoped  to  secure,  more  than  eight  months 
having  now  elapsed  since  the  offer  was  made  without  a 


i 


284 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


dopision   bcinf?  roneht'sl,  he  withdrew   it   in   Pebniary, 
I'JIO.     A  second  period  of  uneortninty  nnd  hented  dis- 
cussion ensued.    Tliis  continued  for  fully  throe  months 
and  was  brought  to  an  abrupt  close  only  by  the  death 
in  May,  1910,  of  Mr.  Isaac  Ciiauneey   Wyman  of  the 
class  of  1848.  and  the  publication  of  the  will  he  had 
drawn   in  July,   1!)09.     In  this  document   he  left  the 
bulk  of  his  estate,  valued  at  over  two  million  dollars,  in 
trust  for  the  purposes  of  the  graduate  college  pro.)Cct, 
outlined  in  Dean  West's  report  of  lOOU.     A  little  later 
Mr.  Procter  was  induced  to  renew  his  offer,  and  at  a 
special  meeting  early  in  June,  1910.  the  president,  for- 
mally announcing  to  the  board  of  trustees  the  Wyman 
bequest  and  also  the  Procter  renewal,  congratulated  the 
board  on   a  combination  of  circumstances  which  gave 
"  so  bright  a  promise  of  a  successful  and  harmonious 
dcvclopm.'nt  of  the  University  "  along  lines  which,  as 
he  said,  would  "  command  our  common  enthusiasm." 

Early  in  that  summer  (1910)  President  Wilson  pub- 
licly signified  his  willingness  to  accept  the  Democratic 
nomination  for  governor  of  New  Jersey,  and  being  nom- 
inated in  September  he  resigned  i\  nresid-tify  of  the 
University.  Winning  at  the  polls  he  served  as  governor 
of  the  State  until  his  election  to  the  presidency  of  the 
United  States  in  November,  1912.  The  Honorable  John 
A.  Stewart,  Senior  Trustee,  was  appointed  president 
pro  tempore  and  held  this  office  until  January,  1912, 
assisted  in  the  performance  of  its  academic  duties  by  the 
dean  of  the  faculty,  Professor  Henry  Burchard  Fine 

(1880). 

In  May.  1911.  the  erection  of  the  graduate  college  was 
begun  on  the  golf  links,  a  part  of  the  battlefield  where 
Mr.  Wyman 's  father  as  a  mere  lad  had  fought  under 
■\iyf,Rhincrton.     By  a  happy  decision  of  the  trustees  of 


nary, 
1  dis- 
sntlis 
lonth 
f  the 
■  had 
t  the 
rs.  in 

OJCPt, 

later 

at  a 
,  for- 
ynian 
'd  the 

gave 
)nious 
t'h,  as 
m." 
I  p\ib- 
icratic 
;  nom- 
of  the 
;emor 
of  the 
!  John 
■sidcnt 

1912, 
by  the 
I  Fine 


gc  was 
where 
under 

tees  of 


4^ 


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1.1 


'H 


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) 


PRESIDENT  IIIBBEN 


285 


7. 

> 


a 


the  Cleveland  Monument  Association,  for  which  Prince- 
ton must  ever  be  grateful,  the  Cleveland  Tower,  a 
national  memorial  to  the  late  Ex-President  of  the  United 
.States,  who  had  been  chairman  of  the  trustees'  com- 
mittee on  thi  gra''nate  school  and  had  ever  been  a  warm 
supporter  of  the  graduate  college  project,  was  made 
the  crowning  'eaturc  of  the  group  of  buildings,  a  superb 
landmark  vis  :  h  for  miles  in  every  direction,  and  one 
which  the  architectural  development  of  that  portion  of 
the  campus  in  future  years  will  only  enhance. 

The  buildings  of  the  Graduate  College  arc  the  resi- 
dential buildings  of  the  graduate  school,  and  aim  to 
provide  for  graduate  students  a  suitable  place  of  resi- 
dence, where  they  may  have  the  advantages  accruing 
from  a  common  lif:;  in  scholarly  surroundings.  In  order 
that  this  advantage  may  be  open  generally  the  fees  of 
residence  have  been  placed  at  a  minimum  cost,  and  it 
is,  therefore,  possible  for  a  student  to  reside  at  the 
Graduate  College  for  less  than  it  would  ordinaoily  cost 
him  were  he  to  take  rooms  in  the  town  and  make  his 
own  arrangements  for  board.  The  courses  offered  in 
the  graduate  school  are  conducted  in  the  laboratories, 
libraries,  seminaries,  museums,  and  research  rooms  of 
the  University,  the  graduate  student  thus  using  the  same 
buildings  for  scholastic  purposes  as  the  undergraduate. 
Beside  the  college  fellowships  open  to  members  of  the 
senior  class  in  college  and  the  graduate  scholarships  open 
to  graduates,  there  are  approximately  forty-five  uni- 
versity fellowships,  the  number  varying  slightly  from 
year  to  year. 

In  January,  1912,  John  Grior  Hibben  of  the  class  of 
1882,  Stuart  Professor  of  logic  in  the  University,  was 
elected  president  and  was  inaugurated  on  the  steps  of 
Xa.ssau  Hall  in  May.     The  university  was  honored  on 


p> 


U-'i 


'  •♦ 


1      i 


286 


THE  rXIVERSITY 


/J 


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1*1 

I 


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I.        ^v 


I' 


\) 


I  • 


this  opoasion  by  the  presence  of  President  Taft  and 
Chief  Justice  White. 

Here  the  history  of  Princeton  University,  so  far  as 
the  present  record  is  concerned,  should  end.    But  men- 
tion may  properly  l)e  made  of  two  or  three  circumstances 
of  great  moment  which  have  already  distinguished  the 
present  administration.     The  institution  of  an  alterna- 
tive method  of  entrance  examination,  certain  desirable 
readjustments    and    important    improvements    in    the 
course  of  study,  the  general  institution  of  honors  courses, 
all  of  which  will  be  deseribrd  in  greater  detail  in  the 
next  chapter,  and  the  steady  growth  of  the  undergrad- 
uate body  have  marked  the  new  administration  on  the 
college  side.     The  formal  dedication  of  the  Graduate 
College  has  given  fresh  stimulus  and  increase  of  num- 
bers to  the  university  side.     And  large  bequests  have 
been  mad.'  to  the  University  which  in  time  will  help  to 
lighten  its  financial  burden  and,  it  is  hoped,  lead  the 
way  to  important  expansions. 

The  title  oi  the  corporation  as  now  constituted  is  the 
Trustees  of  Princeton  University.    The  board  of  trustees 
is  composed  of  the  governor  of  New  Jersey  and  the  presi- 
dent  of  the  University  during  their  respective  terms  of 
office,  twenty-five  life  trustees  and  five  alumni  trustees. 
Twelve  of  the  entire  board  must  be  inhabitants  of  New 
Jersey.    There  is  no  denominational  or  other  restriction 
placed  on  the  constitution  of  the  board,  by  the  charter 
or  by  the  by-laws  of  the  board.     Three  oaths  are  re- 
quired of  each  trustee  on  assuming  office,  first,  to  per- 
form the  duties  of  the  office  faithfully  and  impartially, 
second  to  support  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States, 
and  third,  to  bear  allegiance  to  the  State  in  which  he 
resides.    Vacancies  among  the  life  trustees  are  filled  by 


IKS^'^^fB 


ORGANIZATION 


287 


ballot  of  the  board ;  vacancies  among  the  alumni  trustees 
ar  filled  by  election  by  the  alumni.  Except  in  term  of 
otlitje  and  method  of  election  there  is  no  distinction  be- 
tween the  life  and  the  alumni  trustees.  Nine  of  the 
trustees,  if  the  governor  of  the  State,  the  president  of 
the  University,  or  the  senior  trustee  be  one  of  the  num- 
ber, form  a  quorum.  In  the  absence  of  the  governor, 
the  president  and  the  senior  trustee,  thirteen  members 
constitute  a  quorum. 

The  officers  of  the  corporation  are  the  president  (  f  the 
board  (i.e.,  the  governor),  the  president  of  the  university 
(who  in  absence  of  the  governor  is  e^-officio  president 
of  the  board),  the  dean  of  the  faculty,  the  dean  of  the 
graduate  school,  the  dean  of  the  departments  of  science, 
the  dean  of  the  college,  the  treasurer,  the  secretary  of 
the  university,  the  secretary  of  business  administration, 
the  librarian,  the  registrar,  and  such  other  officers  as  the 
hoard  may  appoint.  With  the  exception  of  the  presi- 
dent, these  oi^icers  are  elected  by  ballot  by  the  board 
and  continue  in  office  during  the  board's  pleasure;  the 
president  is  elected  by  ballot  by  the  board  and  retains 
office  until  his  resignation  or  death. 

Besides  presiding  at  faculty  meetings  and  on  all  pub- 
lic occasions,  and  representing  the  University  before 
the  public,  the  president  is  charged  with  the  general 
oversight  of  the  interests  of  the  University,  has  special 
oversight  of  the  various  departments  of  instrufion  in 
the  University,  and  signs  all  diplomas  and  all  obliga- 
tions and  contracts  entered  into  by  the  board. 

The  dean  of  the  faculty  is  charged  with  the  adminis- 
trative oversight,  under  the  president,  of  the  application 
and  enforcement  of  the  rules  and  standards  of  scholar- 
ship in  the  University.  In  the  absence  of  the  president 
and  whenever  there  is  a  vacancy  in  the  presidency  be 


'■i     .Ml 


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288 


THE  rXTVERSTTY 


performs  the  duties  of  tlie  president,  ir-luling  that  of 
prrsidiiif?  at  moetinps  of  the  faculty. 

Tlie  dean  of  thi  graduate  school  is  c  officio  chairman 
of  the  faculty  committee  on  the  graduate  school  and  is 
the  direct  channel  of  communication  between  that  com- 
mittee and  the  board.  lie  is  the  responsible  adminis- 
trative officer  of  the  graduate  school.  Graduate  instruc- 
tion, the  admission  of  students  to  the  school,  and  in  gen- 
eral the  work  leading  to  the  higher  degrees  is  under  the 
supervision  of  the  faculty  committee  on  the  graduate 
school,  of  which  the  dean  is  chairman,  and  this  com- 
mittee makes  all  recommendations  for  fellowships  and 
graduate  scholarships,  except  where  the  terms  of  endow- 
ment provide  otherwise. 

The  dean  of  the  departments  of  science  has  adminis- 
trative oversight  of  these  departments  and  the  develop- 
ment and  conduct  of  all  work  leading  to  the  higher 
degrees  in  applied  science. 

The  dean  of  the  college  has  charge  of  the  discipline 
of  the  University,  including  attendance  on  university 
exercises  and  all  matters  of  personal  conduct. 

The  secretary  of  the  University  is  secretary  of  the 
board,  custodian  of  the  charter  and  records  of  the  Uni- 
versity, and  has  charge  of  the  general  correspondence 
of  the  University  and  the  publication  and  distribution 
of  official  documents. 

The  secretary  of  business  administration  is  the  resi- 
dent executive  of  the  trustees'  committee  on  grounds 
and  buildings,  and  as  such  has  charge  of  the  real  estate 
and  personal  property  of  the  University  except  funds 
and  securities.  lie  is  responsible  for  the  operation  of 
the  University  Dining  Halls,  for  the  sanitation  of  the 
University,  and  all  heat,  light,  and  power  service,  for 
the  administration  of  the  infirmary,  for  the  purchase  of 


ORGANIZATION 


289 


all  supplies,  for  the  auditing  of  all  bills  for  boor  and 
supplies,  and  for  the  employes  of  the  University.  He 
(o-operates  with  the  president  in  the  oversight  of  all  the 
business  interests  of  the  University. 

The  voting  members  of  the  faculty  are  the  president, 
tiic  deans,  the  professors  and  assistant  professors.  In- 
structors and  assistants  are  nominated  by  the  depart- 
ments and  appointed  by  the  president  Through  an  ar- 
rangement instituted  by  President  Ilibben,  nominations 
of  professors  and  assistant  professors  are  made  by  the 
president  to  the  board  of  trustees  after  formal  recom- 
mendation by  the  full  professors  of  the  departments 
most  concerned.  In  cases  of  appointments  outside  of  the 
existing  departments  nominations  to  the  board  arc  made 
l)y  the  president  on  the  formal  recommendation  of  a 
eommittee  of  full  professors  appointed  by  the  president 
frura  departments  most  closely  allied  to  the  work  of  the 
proposed  appointee.  In  case  the  president  disapproves 
of  a  nomination  his  nomination  is  placed  before  the 
board  with  that  of  the  committee. 

The  faculty  has  approach  to  the  board  through  the 
president  and  also  by  means  of  a  standing  committee  of 
conference  which  meets  a  standing  committee  of  the 
Itoard  four  times  a  year,  that  is,  before  each  stated  meet- 
ing of  the  board. 

The  business  of  the  faculty  is  in  the  hands  of  fourteen 
standing  committees,  of  which  those  on  course  of  study, 
on  entrance,  on  discipline,  on  examinations  and  stand- 
ing, on  graduate  school,  on  out<loor  sports,  on  non- 
.'ithletie  organizations  arc  typical.  The  records  of  the 
faculty  are  kept  by  its  clerk,  who  is  elected  by  the 
faculty  and  serves  during  its  pleasure. 

The  departments  of  the  University  are  autonomous, 
although  the  so-call"d  "  head  "  or  administrative  chair- 


Vl  Bf 


) 


.1' 'l|: 


t    J- 


290 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


man  of  each  dL-partiiit-nt  is  appointed  by  the  president. 
Eaeh  department  arranges  its  own  courses  and  appor- 
tions its  work,  but  every  new  undergraduate  course  of- 
fered must  be  recoiuniended  by  the  faculty  committee  on 
course  of  study,  and  every  graduate  course  must  be  rec- 
ommended by  the   faculty  committee  on  the  graduate 

school. 

The  publications  of  the  University  are  produced  by 
the   Princeton    University   Press,    whose   building   and 
equipment  were  the  gift  of  Mr.  Charles  Scribner  (1875). 
In  the  language  of  its  charter,  obtained  under  the  act 
providing  for  "  associations  not  for  pecmiiary  profit," 
the  University  Press  is  organized  to  maintain  in  the 
interests  of  the  University  a  printing  and  publishing 
plant  for  the  promotion  of  education  and  scholarship 
and  to  serve  the  University  by  manufacturing  and  dis- 
tributing   its   publications.     Besides   the   official   docu- 
ments of  the  University  regularly  printed  here,  the  Press 
has  already  issued  a  number  of  volumes  of  general  in- 
tellectual and  scholarly  interest,  of  which  perhaps  the 
annual  Stafford  Little  Lectures  may  be  taken  as  one 
type,  and  the  Princeton  Monographs  in  Art  and  Archae- 
ology as  another. 


t|  in 


I'  , 


i 


0.ii»i 


'  1 


VIII 

HISTORY  OF  THE  CURRICULUM  AND 
ENTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 

Entrance  Requirements  of  1748.  Reouircmcnts  of  1><!9.  Cur- 
riculum "nder  I-'rcsiilent  liurr.  rrcsiilcnt  Witlicr-^iMionV  Im- 
provements. Curriculum  of  1802  nnd  ISH).  Modern  Lanpiages. 
Kxtrii-curriculum  Ix;ctures.  Curriculum  lender  President  Maclean.' 
I'resident  McCosli's  Elective  Plan.  Scliool  of  Science.  Civil  En- 
gineering. The  Course  of  Study  and  Entrance  Requirements  in 
1S87.  Revision  Under  President  Putton.  New  Course  of  Study 
Inder  President  Wilson.  Standardization  of  Requirements  Under 
i'resident  Hibben.  The  Alternative  Metliod  of  Entrance.  The 
1  inal  Special  Honors  Plan. 

The  history  of  the  Princeton  curriculum  and  entrance 
requirements  is  a  history  of  singleness  of  principle  and 
unity  of  practice.  On  the  whole  it  is  the  story  of  slow, 
steady  progress  toward  one  definite  goal— the  formation 
of  a  curriculum  which  shall  contain  the  essentials  of  a 
balanced,  coherent,  and  logical  grouping  of  liberal 
studies.  Though  marked  in  the  main  by  a  strong  con- 
servative tendency,  which  in  spite  of  criticism  has  re- 
fused to  yield  to  the  lure  of  ephemeral  theories  or  utili- 
tarian ends,  this  development  has  not  ignored  abiding 
values  wrought  out  by  experience  elsewhere,  nor  has  it 
been  too  timid  to  take  forwai('  and  untried  steps  when 
these  were  sure  of  their  ultimate  direction.  The  latest 
expression  of  the  Princeton  theory  is  found  in  the  in- 
augural address  of  President  Hibben  on  the  ' '  Essentials 
of  Liberal  Education."* 

It  may  be  well  to  state  at  the  outset,  and  by  way  of 
summary,  the  three  basal  convictions  that  have  emerged 
from  the  long  process  through  which  the  Princeton  cur- 

'  Princvton  University  Official  Register,  May,  1912. 
291 


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wi' 


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I 


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t  I  ■! 


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I 


292    CrRRICl  Ll'M:  FA'TRAXCE  KEQl'IKEMEXTS 

riculum  lor  the  baclulor  do^'n-i-s  has  boon  evolved. 
These  couvietions  arc:  first,  tluit  certain  fundamental 
and  disciplinary  studies  are  essential  to  a  liberal  edu- 
cation, whether  the  dc^'ree  in  view  be  one  in  arts,  one 
in  science,  or  one  in  letters,  and  that  these  studies  are 
Latin,  mathematics,  philosophy,  physical  science;  sec- 
ond, that  these  stutlics  brjnj,'  fundamental  arc  to  be  re- 
quired of  all  candidates  for  a  bachelor's  deffree,  and 
being  disciplinary  are  to  be  pursued  early  in  the  college 
course,  after  which  tlicir  continuance  is  optional  with 
the  student;  third,  that  the  integrity  of  the  historic 
bachelor  of  arts  degree,  postulating  the  study  of  both 
Greek  and  Latin,  is  to  be  preserved.  If  there  be  no  such 
thing  as  essentials  in  liberal  education,  then  the  Prince- 
ton theory  falls  to  the  ground.  But  whether  one  accepts 
or  rejects  the  validity  of  the  convictions  named,  at  least 
their  presence  at  the  heart  of  the  modern  Princeton 
course  of  study  renders  impossible  any  ambiguity  in  the 
meaning  of  a  Prin(!eton  bachelor  degree. 

The  entrance  requirem(>nts  have  followed  the  stability 
of  the  curriculum.  Indeed,  after  they  were  once  clearly 
established  early  in  the  nineteenth  century  they  showed 
but  little  change  until  Dr.  ]McCo.sh  compelled  a  re-adjust- 
ment. The  terms  of  admission  to-day  are  practically 
those  of  yesterday  in  so  far  as  they  demand  a  knowledge 
of  essentials,  the  contrast  and  advance  lying  in  the 
method  of  administration  and  in  the  raising  of  the 
standard  imposed.  The  history  of  the  entrance  require- 
ments until  Dr.  McCosh's  time  is  thus  a  matter  of  but 
few  words. 

Unless  President  Dickinson  meant  to  admit  to  college 
anyone  who.  in  the  comfortable  phrase  of  the  day,  was 
"  hopefully  pious."  he  nii;st  have  had  standards  of  one 
sort  or  another  in  his  mind  whereby  t(>  judge  of  the 


EARLY  REQriREMEXTS 


293 


(limlifieations  of  eariditlates  under  the  charter  of  174G; 
y.'t  it  is  extremely  doubtful  that  in  his  brief  administra- 
tion he  ever  forniuh;ted  tliem.  The  announeement  in 
the  newspapers  that  the  CoHege  of  New  Jersey  would 
o]>m  at  Elizabeth  Town  in  May,  1747,  contained  the 
luither  statement  that  "  all  persons  suitably  qualified  " 
might  at  that  time  and  place  be  "  admitted  to  an  ac- 
iHiemic  education,"  a  statement  repeated  a  few  months 
later  in  the  detailed  description  of  tlic  charter,  in  which 
it  is  said  that  "  all  who  are  (lualified  for  it  may  be  ini- 
imdiately  admitted  to  an  academic  education  and  to  such 
class  and  station  in  the  college  as  they  are  found  upon 
examination  to  deserve."  But  no  record  of  the  require- 
ments has  been  preserved.  There  can  b(>  little  doubt, 
however,  that  the  definite  entrance  requirements  laid 
down  in  November,  1748,  by  President  Burr  in  the 
"  Laws  and  Customs  "  authorized  by  the  board  of 
trustees  after  the  first  commencement,  differed  but 
sliu'htly,  if  at  all,  from  those  of  President  Dickinson. 
Tlie  first  chapter  of  Burr's  "  Laws  "  is  entitled  "  Of 
Admission  "  and  reads: 

"  None  may  expect  to  be  admitted  into  the  College 
liut  such  as  being  examined  by  the  President  and 
Tutors,'  shall  be  found  able  to  render  Virgil  and  Tully's 

'This  oral  etliod  of  pntranre  examination  lasted  until  well 
l:ist  the  middle  of  the  nineteentli  century,  altliouj^h  college  exam- 
iiKitions  were  written.  Tt  consisted  of  a  brief  qxiiz  by  the  presi- 
ilent  usually,  assisted  sometimes  by  his  colleagues,  tliV  candidate 
in  the  latter  ease  tracking  these  gentlemen  to  ttiiir  homes.  A 
litter  in  the  University  library-  written  in  1701  by  President 
Finley  to  Dr.  Eliezer  VVheelock  of  Dartmouth  shows  the  informal- 
ity of  the  whole  proceeding:  "  I  examined  your  Son,  &  tho'  he 
was  less  prepared  than  Ye  Rest  of  his  Class,  yet  Considering 
liis  Age,  &  Good  Sense,  I  concluded  he  wou'd  make  a  pretty  (iood 
Figure  in  it,  after  some  Time,  Shou'd  God  grant  him  Health  to 
Ntudy:  &  so  admitted  him.  And  I  can  honestly  say  yt  his  being 
ynnr  Son  had  no  small  Influence  on  me."  Other  letters  show  that 
n  .i  infrequently  it  happened  in  the  eighteenth  and  early   in  the 


H 


I 


r    i; 


-' 


i   I 


k      ,! 


■.)i 


I  )  ' 


294   CURRICULUM:  ENTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 

Orations  into  Englisli,  and  to  turn  English  into  true 
gramniatii-al  Latin,  and  so  well  aecjuaintcd  with  Greek 
as  to  reudiT  any  part  of  the  four  Evangelists  in  that 
language,  into  Latin  or  English,  and  to  give  the  gram- 
matical eonstruction  of  tiie  Words." 

Arithmetic  to  the  ruh'  of  three  was  added  to  the  re- 
quirements in  1700  by  President  Davies,  but  for  the 
next  sixty  years  in  y"  ite  of  improvements  in  the  eur- 
riculum  introdueed  by  Witherspoon  and  Smith,  the  only 
ehangi'  made  in  the  terms  of  admission  concerned  the 
substitution  of  Sallust  and  Casar  for  Cicero,  and  the 
addition  of  a  few  more  pages  of  arithmetic.  The  super- 
fluous translating  from  the  Gospels  into  Latin  was 
dropped  before  the  close  of  Witherspoon 's  administration, 
but  is  scarcely  a  change  worthy  the  name,  since  Latin 
composition,  euphoniously  called  the  "  turning  of  Eng- 
lish into  true  grammatical  Latin,"  was  retained  in  the 
requirement  of  Mair's  "  Introduction  to  the  Making  of 
Latin,"  a  book  that  found  a  perennial  home  at  Prince- 

nineteonth  cintury  that,  amid  the  conlusioii  of  tiTiu  opuuing. 
exaiuiiiiition  in  part  of  the  rtMiuiremfnts  was  postponed,  vaiv.;. 
or  forjjottcn.  John  William  Walker  entorinp  the  junior  class  in 
isn,5  reported  to  President  Smith  who  in  turn  introduced  him  to 
Professors  Maclean  and  Hunter,  and  he  would  have  been  exai;;- 
ined  on  the  spot  "  had  not  business  and  compnny  deprived  the 
faculty  of  time."  Subsequently  the  examination  was  set  at  a 
date  of  his  own  choosing.  Another  boy  trying  to  enter  tho 
sophomore  class  at  this  date  could  make  no  arrangement  what- 
soever for  examination  because  the  "  avocations  of  some  of  the 
Faculty  call  them  from  home  at  this  moment."  Once  past  the 
entrance  ordeal,  the  eighteenth  century  student  was  given  a  copy 
of  the  College  laws  to  transcribe,  which  copy  being  counter- 
signed by  the  president  was  his  certificate  cf  matriculation  as 
well  as  ills  presumptive  vademecum  "  to  be  kept  by  him  whilst 
he  continue  a  member  of  said  College,  as  the  Rule  of  his  behavior." 
The  nineteenth  century  student  was  required  to  purchase  a  printed 
copy  of  the  laws,  which  being  countersigned  by  the  clerk  of  the 
faculty  was  his  certificate.  Besides  matriculating,  the  new 
student  was  required  until  1889  to  report  in  person  to  the  presi- 
dent on  arrival  at  College, 


iV^m. 


n 


ii 


EARLY  CURRICULUM 


2iJ5 

ton  until   its  replacement  in  1870  hy  the  eciually  celc- 

l.rated    "  Latin    Prose   Cunipositiou  "   of    Dr.    Arnold. 

From  1794  to  181G,  for  exanipl.-,  the  Princeton  reciuiro^ 
nients  were:  Arithmetic  to  the  "  double  rule  of  three," 
the  Greek  Gospels  with  the  "  ^'rammatical  analysis  of 
tlie  words,"  Sallust,  Ca'sar,  Virgil,  and  Mair's  "In- 
troduetion."  At  the  beginning  of  tlie  ninet.'enth 
.■.ntury  Harvard,  Yale.  Brown,  and  Williams  all  re- 
(luired  Cieero  instead  of  Ca-sar  and  Sallust;  Columbia 
asked  for  both  Ca'sar  and  Cicero ;  but  exccjjting  these 
slight  ditferenees  Princeton's  re(iuirements  were  identi- 
i-al  with  those  of  her  sister  colleges. 

In  1819,  however,  with  bold  disregard  for  the  condi- 
tion of  contemporary  secondary  education,  the  trustees 
came  forward  with  a  genuine  attempt  to  raise  the  stand- 
ard of  entrance.  Ovid's  "  Metamorpho.ses,"  Lucian, 
and  three  books  of  Xenophon's  "  Cyropedia  "  were 
added  to  the  list  of  classical  works  to  be  read ;  geography 
and  English  grammar  made  their  first  appearance ;  and 
l.atin  and  (Jreek  grammar  and  prosody,  apart  from  the 
"grammatical  analysis  of  the  words,"  were  definitely 
called  for.  The  requirement  of  English  grammar  at 
Princeton  is  the  earliest  appearance  of  that  subject  in 
American  college  entrance  lists;  and  in  demanding 
geography  Princeton  was  antedated  only  by  Harvard.^ 

That  this  array  was  too  formidable  in  1819  is  clearly 
shown  by  the  fact  that  for  several  years  thereafter  many 
of  the  entrance  subjects  were  repeated  in  the  freshman 
course.  Even  the  best  of  the  academies— Phillips  Exeter 
for  example— did  not  read  any  of  the  three  authors 
named,  as  a  part  of  their  regular  eurx.culum,  although 

r  n^  ^'    F;  ^*  .^™°™'    "  Historical   and    Critical    Discussion    of 
I olltee  Admission  R.'quiremiT.ts."    Cnhimbia  University   1902 


J-.  pp. 


I' 


t 


a 


'  * 


i 


'I  ^c 


i  I 


'U: 


/I 


\'.-\k 


I     1/ 


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\  1-! 


i      1    f 


':  ^!if 


'    '  .  J! I 


2i)G   CrilRICrUIM:  KNTUANT'K  UKCiri  lU.MKNTS 

thi-y  pnMtf<l.(l  fiirtlirr  in  iiiatlicmatics -.  jiihI  it  was  iKit 
to  !)<•  r.xiHctcil  that  •jraimiiar  s.liools  ami  |>rivatc  schools 
rouhl  iiuct  the  new  n^iuin'iiionts  satisl'actorily.  Tho 
lHi!>  list  of  suhjicts.  with  th<'  (•X('<'ptioti  of  Ovi<l  and 
Inu'ian,  dropp.d  in  is:{().  and  rl.-incntary  alfjchra  im- 
posed  in  1S4S  aii<l  tliM-caltfr,  ivinain(-d  tho  rntrance 
roquircnicnts  for  rriiiccton  until  Dr.  Mi-Cosh's  time 
fifty  years  later.  Xenophon  was  east  out  in  1H30,  hut 
after  an  ahsciice  of  twciity-livr  years  was  n-stored  to 
graeo  with  the  ad.hd  virtue  of  two  hooks  instea<l  of 
one.  I'rineeton  seems  to  have  hem  paralyzed  hy  her 
holdness  of  ISl!)  into  inahility  to  tinker  any  further 
with  the  entrance  i)rohh'm. 

The  course  of  study  under  the  early  conditions  shows 
more  proj^'ress.     What  the  curriculum  inider  Dickinson 
was,  or  w"ould  have  heen  had  he  lived  to  develop  it,  we 
do  not  know.    Nor  is  there  any  ofiicial  statement  of  the 
course  of  study  und.r  Hurr,  although  he  douhtloss  drew 
up  a  systematic  plan.     I'nder  both  Dickinson  and  Burr 
the  eurrie\ilum  was  in  all  probability  patterned  closely 
on  the  Yale  curriculum.    A  letter  of  1749  or  1750  writ- 
ten  by  a  trustee  th-scribing  the  College— the  signature 
and  exact  date  are  wanting— says  that  students  in  the 
first  year  study  the  learned  languages  and  then  "  they 
proceed  to  the  liberal  arts  and  sciences";  one  day  a 
week  is  devoted  to  theoh^gical  study,  wlien  they  recite, 
and  the  President  or  a  tutor  "  expounds  upon  some  ap- 
proved system  of  divinity."     This  refers  primarily  to 
students  intending  to  enter  the  ministry;  but  nothing  is 
said  about  the  course  pursued  by  those  not  looking  for- 
ward to  ordination.     From  the  l.tters  of  Joseph  Ship- 
pen,  of  the  class  of  175:5,  the  curricidum  he  pursued 
can'be  guessed  fairly  completely.    As  a  freshman  he  was 
reciting    in    Xenophon,    Watts'    ontology.    Cicero    and 


u; 


NEWARK  crRRIClLrM 


297 


flrhrpw  Kraniiiiar;  once  a  week  I     disputed  "  aftor  tho 
sylloRistic  iiic'thoil.  and  now  and  then  we  learn  jjcopra- 
|)h.V."     Lafir  on   in   the  year   Ik-   asks   for   (lordon's 
"  (JfORraplii<'al  Grammar,"  Watts'  "  Astronomy,"  and 
"  Hook  of  Lopic,"  an<l  says  lie  will  soon  tako  up  Horace. 
Iiiit  his  time  is  so  filled  up  in  studying  Virgil,  CJrcek 
testament,  and  rlietorie,  with  an  oeeasional  lesson  "  on 
the  Globes  "  that  he  has  no  leisure  to  look  over  any 
French  or  al^^ehra  or  any  English  book  for  his  "  pen- 
.ral    improvement."      In   the   soi)li()more   yrar   he    was 
studying  rhetoric,  ontology  and  elementary  mathematics. 
During  the  winter  of  1750-1751  he  was  reading  Homer, 
and  he  wished  a  copy  of  Martin's  "  Natural  I'hiloso- 
i'liy."  then  used  by  the  senior  class.    In  the  spring  fol- 
lowing,  Mr.   Hurr  arranged  a  special  course  of  twelve 
Irctures  on  natural  philosophy  by  Mr.  Lewis  Evans,  a 
course  which  had  been  given  with  great  success  in  New 
York  and  Philadelphia,  and  for  which  Mr.  lUirr  hind 
the  apparatus  from  Mr.  James  David  Dove  of  Philadel- 
phia.    Shippen  was  specially  interested  in  the  electrical 
experiments  exhibiting  as  they  did  a  "  newly  discovered 
element  (I  mean  the  Electrical  Fluid),"  and  Mr.  Evans 
having  a  globe  to  s{)are  which  he  gave  to  the  young 
.student,  the  latter  constructed  a  small  electrical   ma- 
chine   for  his   own   experimentation.      President   Rurr 
likewise  purchased  an  electrical  machine  for  classroom 
use.     In  the  winter  of  1751-1752  as  a  junior  Shippen 
was  reading  moral  philosophy  and  taking  a  special  ex- 
tra-curriculum course  from  Mr.  Burr  in  astronomy,  in 
'■;ih-ulating  eclipses,  and  in  the  theory  of  navigation.   His 
letters  written  in  senior  year  make  no  comment  on  his 
studies,  bat  the  memorandum  book  of  his  college  con- 
temporary, Samuel  Livermore  of  1752,  records  that  on 
GT.adn.ation  fho  latter  sustained  examination  in  Hebrew. 


m 


V'' 


ma 


fit     ■'*! 


298   ("URRICULUM:  F.XTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 

Greek     testament,     Homer,     Cicero,     Horace,     logic, 
geography,    astronomy,    natural    philosophy,    ontology, 
ethics,  and  rhetoric,  and  it  is  unlikely  that  Shippcn's 
final  examination  was  ver>'  different.    The  absence  of 
any  mathematics  from  this  list  is  possibly  due  to  for- 
getfulness  on  the  part  of  the  author.    Some  of  the  sub- 
jects evidently  formed  part  of  the  "review  oi  studies," 
which  was  long  a  feature  of  the  senior  course  of  study, 
rendering  the  final  examination  in  senior  year  a  com- 
preh(>nsivo    one    in    the   most    technical    sense    of    the 
word.     Mr.   Burr's    account    book   shows   that   several 
of  his   students   were   studying   French   at  a   French 

school. 

The  earliest  definite  official  statement  of  the  curricu- 
lum is  contained  in  Blair's  "  Account  "  published  in 
1764.     From  this  document  it  appears  that  aside  from 
the   exercises    in   declamation,    whicli   took    place   five 
nights  of  the  week  after  supper,  freshman  year  was 
spent    entirely    in   the    classics,— Horace,    Cicero,    the 
Greek  testament,  Lucian  and  Xenophon.    In  the  sopho- 
more year  the  classics  wore  continued  with  Homer  and 
Longinus  as  the  principal  authors,  while  a  beginning 
was  "made  in  the  sciences  and  philosophy  by  means  of 
courses  in  mathematics,  logic,  geography,  and  rhetoric, 
the  latter  supplying  the  theory  of  which  the  regular 
declamations  in  the  prayer-hall  were  the  practice.    In 
junior  year  the  classics  were  temporarily  laid  aside, 
mathematics  was  continued,  while  natural  philosophy, 
mo^al  philosophy,  metaphysics,  and  history  were  com- 
menced, with  weekly  public  declamations  and  disputa- 
tions.    Prospective  divinity  students,  moreover,  began 
Hebrew.    Senior  year  was  principally  one  of  review  and 
composition.     On  the  monthly  oration  day  seniors  de- 
livered original  harangues;  junior  subjects  were  com- 


"ip-t.i 


WITIIERSPOON'S  IMiKUVf]MENTS        299 


plctcd ;  tlio  classics  were  re-read  and  the  sciences  hastily 
re-surveyod ;  a  comprehensive  examination  followed,  and 
the  collegian  faced  the  world.  And  such  the  curriculum 
remained  under  Davies  and  Finley. 

On  Dr.  Witherspoon  's  accession  changes  began  to  take 
place.  After  two  years  of  his  administration  the  board 
gave  him  full  powers  "  as  to  the  methods  of  education  ' ' 
to  be  pursued  in  the  College.  Times  had  changed.  When 
Jonathan  Edwards  wished  to  introduce  new  studies  into 
even  the  grammar  school  curriculum  he  had  to  gain  the 
consent  of  the  trustees,  having  made  the  mistake  of  ad- 
mitting that  1)0  knew  but  little  about  the  business.  But 
Dr.  Witherspoon  was  permitted  to  do  as  he  thought  best, 
and  he  did  not  even  report  to  the  board  any  changes  he 
effected.  Annual  catalogues  prior  to  179-4  are  not 
known,  if  they  ever  existed ;  and  the  development  of  the 
curriculum  in  Witherspoon 's  time  must,  therefore,  be 
sought  in  secondary  sources  and  by  comparing  the  state- 
ment in  Blair's  "  Account  "  of  1764  with  that  in  Wither- 
spoon's  "  Address  to  the  Inhabitants  of  Jamaica  "  in 
1772,  and  in  the  "  Laws  "  of  1794. 

Freshman  year  remained  entirely  elementary  and 
classical,  viiile  to  sophomore  year  with  its  advanced 
classics,  its  elementary  mathematics,  and  its  complete 
course  in  geography  "  with  the  use  of  globes,"  Dr. 
Witherspoon  added  English  grammar  and  composition, 
beginning  here  the  strong  emphasis  he  laid  on  the  study 
of  English  expression. 

Junior  year  was  devoted  chiefly  to  science — to  natural 
philosophy  with  the  aid  of  new  apparatus,  and  to  ad- 
vanced mathematics  (algebra,  geometry,  trigonometry, 
practical  geometry,  and  conic  sections,  the  last  four  being 
studied  after  1787  from  the  manuscript  lectures  of  Pro- 
fessor Minto).     The  continuation  of  English  grammar 


fff 


hn 


1.'1K^ 


? 


v-\\ 


\     : 


300  CURRICULUM:  ENTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 

and  the  T, resident's  lecturrs  on  history  and  on  "  Elo- 
quence "  which  included  rhetoric,  advanced  composition, 
criticism  and  style,  completed  the  junior  curriculum- 
a  eurrieulum  that  was  distinctly  stronger  and  more  cul- 
tural than  that  previously  offered.    In  the  "  Address 
of  1772  Dr.  Witherspoon  says  that  juniors  listened  to 
his  lectures  on   history,   which,   with  those   on  "  Elo- 
nucnce,"  he  repeated  to  the  seniors,  so  that  each  class 
heard  them  twice.     In  the  "  Laws  "  of  1794,  history, 
however,   is  not  listed  as   a   junior,   but   as  a   senior 

subject.  . 

Dr  Witherspoon 's  chief  improvements  in  the  curricu- 
lum fell  in  senior  year,  and  here  again  it  was  more  in 
the  maturer  method  that  he  employed  in  his  lectures, 
as  for  example  his  constant  bibliographical  references, 
rather  than  in  any  multiplicity  of  new  subjects  that  the 
improvements   are   to   be   found.     In   addition  to  the 
lectures  on  history  and  on  "  Eloquence"  which  they 
had  already  heard  as  juniors,  and  besides  reviewing  the 
classics  and  completing  logic  and  natural  philosophy 
seniors  listened  to  the  president  on  ethics,  politics,  and 
government,  the  two  latter  subjects  making  their  first 
appearance  at   Princeton,   and  constituting,  with   the 
ethics   his  lectures  on  moral  philosophy.     The  lectures 
on  politics  and  government  were  distinct  innovations, 
and  contributed  a  freshness  and  timeliness  to  the  upper- 
class  course  that  did  not  fail  to  bear  fruit.  Public  speak- 
ing was  carried  on  to  an  even  greater  degree  under 
Witherspoon  than  under  his  predecessors,  besides  being 
approached  in  a  more  intelligent   manner,   and  being 
made  the  subject  of  formal  study  by  his  upperolassmen. 
He  instituted  a  number  of  prizes  for  public  speaking 
both  in  the  grammar  school  and  in  College,  and  it  was 
only  in  vaoatinn  that  the  prayer-hall  did  not  resound 


mm 


■1 


CLASSICS 


301 


with  the  youthful  oratory  that  sent  its  echoes  drifting 
down  the  long  entries.    There  is  plenty  of  contemporary 
evidence  that  Witherspoon's  insistence  on  the  serious 
study  of  written  and  spoken  English  was  plainly  dis- 
cernible in  the  public  style  of  his  graduates.     Il  com- 
menting on  the  Witherspoon  curriculum  Ashbel  Green 
of  1783  makes  the  interesting  statement  that  after  the 
Revolutionary  War  the  junior  and  senior  classes  read 
no  classics,  their  time  being  occupied  with  mathematics, 
philosophy  (natural  and  moral),  belles  lettres,  criticism, 
composition,  and  eloquence.    In  his  own  class  there  was 
one  man,  he  declares,  who  did  not  even  know  the  Greek 
alphabet,  and  the  Latin  salutatory,  written  by  the  presi- 
dent, a  common  enough  procedure,  was  assigned  to  a 
man  who  came  to  him  (Green)  to  have  it  translated. 
However  this  may  have  been  in  the  period  just  after 
the  Revolution,  it  was  hardly  so  in  1794,  for  the  curricu- 
lum of  that  date  published  in  the  "  Laws  "  shows  that 
while  no  classics  were  prescribed  in  junior  year,  never- 
theless, in  senior  year  there  was  at  least  a  general  review 
of  them  which  no  student  could  possibly  have  made  with- 
out a  preliminary  knowledge  of  the  two  languages  in- 
volved, unless  the  review  were  conducted  solely  from  the 
aesthetic  point  of  view  by  means  of  translations.    Even 
the  religious  teaching  in  College  was  given  a  classical 
turn,  for  in  1793  the  catechism  which  freshmen  were 
required  to  study  on   Sundays  was  printed  in  Latin, 
Presbyterians  absorbing  to  the  best  of  their  ability  the 
"  Catechismus    Minor    rccensitus    in    usum    Tyronum 
Collegii  Neo-Ca?sarionsis, "  while  Episcopalians  learned 
their  duty  to  God  and  man  from  the  "  Catechismus 
Articulique   Religionis.  .  .  .  reeensitus   in   usum   Tyro- 
num Collegii  Neo-Caesariensis, "  both  printed  by  Jane 
Aitkin  at  Philadelphia. 


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Hi! 


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302  CURRICULUM:  ENTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 

It  will  have  boon  noticed  that,  although  arithmetic 
was  an  entrance  requirement,  mathematics  is  not  found 
in  Witherspoon's  curriculum  until  sophomore  year. 
Arithmetic  in  the  higher  branches  was  introduced  into 
the  freshman  schedule  during  the  next  decade  and  as 
late  as  1822  formed  the  only  mathematical  obstacle  that 
a  freshman  encountered. 

The  principle  of  the  Witherspoon  curriculum  was  pre- 
served for  half  a  century  after  his  death,  viz.,  making 
freshman  year  chiefiy  classical,  arithmetic,  geography, 
English  grammar  and  composition  being  the  only  ex- 
ceptions;  introducing  in  sophomore  year  history  and 
algebra,   but   with   the   same   major  emphasis   on   the 
classics;  devoting  junior  year  chiefly  to  mathematical 
sciences  with  contiuuation  of  the  classics;  and  giving 
senior  year  over  to  philosophical  and  literary  courses 
and  the  completion  of  science,  not  forgetting  the  classics 
and  "  a  general  review."     It  was  not  long,  however, 
before  the  sciences  laid  siege  to  the  classics,  although 
President  Green  checked  their  advance,  and  Carnahan 
and  Maclean  in  their  turn  kept  up  the  defenses.    The 
need  of  a  scientific  course  with  a  minimum  of  classics,  or 
none  at  all,  was  glaring  for  years  before  Dr.  McCosh 
installed  one,  and  the  Princeton  precedent  for  such  a 
course  was  lying  at  hand  in  the  records  of  the  College. 
But  the  authorities  in  the  early  and  middle  nineteenth 
century  seem  to  have  willfully  turned  their  backs  on  the 
object-lesson  President  Smith  had  long  ago  bequeathed 
them  in  the  special  scientific  course  he  had  organized 
with  the  elder  ]\Iaelean;  and  by  so  doing  they  threw 
away  an  opportunity  for  leadership  that  was  never  re- 
newed.   An  explanation  of  their  action  has  already  been 
suggested.    In  those  days  Princeton  sorely  needed  in 
hor  councils  the  presence  of  one  or  two  men  of  vision 


i;  n 


., 


CURRICULUM  OF  1802 


303 


and  courage  with  strength  enough  to  put  enlightened 
ideas  into  execution. 

French  was  studied  under  Witherspoon  as  an  extra- 
curriculum  subject,  sometimes  taught  by  himself  free 
of  charge  and  at  others  by  transient  natives  for  a  com- 
pensation. The  first  teacher  of  French  regularly  at- 
tached to  the  faculty  appeared  in  1804,  and  even  then 
the  subject  did  not  receive  a  place  in  the  curriculum, 
but  was  still  an  extra  elective.  Prior  to  this  period 
divinity  students,  who  wished  to  study  French,  were 
instructed  by  the  professor  of  theology,  thus  on  the  one 
hand  being  safeguarded  in  their  French  reading  and  on 
the  other  being  saved  the  expense  of  employing  a  pro- 
fessional teacher. 

Tho  introduction  of  chemistry  and  natural  science  into 
the  curriculum  by  President  Smith  has  been  spoken 
of  in  an  earlier  chapter.  Presumably  these  were  senior 
subjects,  but  no  catalogue  or  other  source  is  available 
for  the  period  between  1794  and  1802,  and  it  is  impos- 
sible, therefore,  to  ascertain  how  the  curriculum  was 
re-arranged  to  admit  these  studies.  On  the  death  of 
Professor  IMinto  in  1796  Professor  Maclean,  who  was 
lecturing  on  them,  took  charge  of  his  late  colleague's 
work  in  mathematics  and  natural  philosophy  and  ap- 
parently dropped  natural  history,  not  resuming  it  until 
1804,  when  Professor  Andrew  Hunter  was  appointed 
to  the  chair  of  mathematics  and  astronomy.  Thereafter, 
Maclean  lectured  on  chemistry,  natural  philosophy,  and 
natural  history.  The  "  Laws  "  of  1802  give  the  follow- 
ing curriculum: 


Fbeshman 


SOPHOMOBK 


Greek       Testa.-  Xenophon, 

ment,  Homer, 

Sallust,  Cicero, 


JUSIOE 

Algebra. 
Geometry, 


Seniob 

Natural       phi- 
losophy, 


Trigonometry,     Moral    philoso- 

p5»y. 


f  % 


i , 


!■  '  ■  !i 


u'>  ^M'iii 


'  i 


304  CURRICULUM:  ENTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 

Freshman          Sophomore  Junior               Senior 

Lucian,                Horace,  Practical  geom-   Chemistry, 

Cicero,                  Roman     antiq-  etry,                  History, 

Mair's   "Intro-       uities,  Conic    Bections,   Criticism, 

duction       to  Geography,  Natural       phi-   Chronology, 

Making  Lat-   English    gram-  losophy,            Logic, 

in."                      mar,     and  English    gram-   Classics, 

composition,  mar  and  com-    (Review). 

Arithmetic,  position. 
Algebra. 

This  course  of  study  is  identical  in  freshman  and 
sophomore  years  with  that  outlined  in  Dr.  Smith's  "  Ad- 
dress to  the  Public  "  in  1804  on  the  rebuilding  of  Nassau 
Hall  after  the  fire;  but  junior  year  was  considerably 
improved  by  the  addition  of  astronomy  and  by  lowering 
into    it   the   hitherto   senior   subjects,    chemistry    and 
natural  history.    The  religious  instruction  of  the  time 
is  interesting.    On  Sundays  freshmen  and  sophomores 
studied    biblical    history    and    the    principles    of    the 
Christian  religion  "  agreeably  to  the  tenets  of  the  re- 
spective churches  "  to  which  they  belonged,  a  survival 
apparently  of  the  Latin  catechism  of  1793.     Juniors 
were  lectured  to  on  Sundays  by  the  professor  of  theology 
on  the  difficulties  of  the  holy  writ  and  "  by  the  aid  of 
History,  Antiquities  and  the  Principles  of  Sound  Criti- 
cism," were  instructed  in  the  art  of  refuting  attacks 
on  the  Bible ;  and  by  attending  Sunday  lectures  on  the 
evidences  of  natural  and  revealed  religion,  continued 
as  seniors  their  preparation  against  the  contemporary  in- 
fidelity which  they  would  encounter  outside  the  carefully 
guarded  precincts  of  the  College. 

One  effect  of  Dr.  Smith's  emphasis  on  science  seems 
to  have  been  the  crowding  out  of  the  classics  first  from 
junior  and  then  from  senior  year.  The  letters  of 
William  Meade  (1808),  for  instance,  show  that  as  a 
junior  he  was  busied  with  Euclid,  algebra,  navigation. 


r*  f. .;'    i 


CURRICULUM  OF  1819 


305 


surveying,  trigonometry,  natural  philosophy  and 
rhetoric,  and  as  he  considered  these  subjects  easier  than 
those  of  senior  year  he  was  occupying  his  spare  time  in 
reading  history.  As  a  senior  he  studied  chemistry,  logic, 
astronomy,  theology,  and  political  philosophy.  This  can 
hardly  be  a  complete  statement  of  his  work  in  senior 
year,  but  it  is  noticeable  that  no  mention  of  the  classics 
is  made  in  either  year.  Such  a  condition  could  not  last, 
and  Dr.  Green  relates  in  his  autobiography  that  on  be- 
coming president  in  1812  he  discovered  a  senior  totally 
ignorant  of  the  classics,  indubitably  a  worse  state  than 
that  of  the  Latin  salutatorian  who  could  not  translate 
his  oration  in  1783,  and  this  so  shocked  the  president 
that  he  resolved  at  all  costs  to  restore  Greek  and  Latin 
to  the  junior  and  senior  years.  Thus  is  explained  the 
reappearance  of  classics  in  the  upperclass  curriculum 
of  1813,  which,  with  this  exception  and  the  substitution 
of  Virgil  for  Sallust  and  the  addition  of  arithmetic  in 
freshman  year,  is  identical  with  the  curriculum  of  1802. 
The  new  entrance  requirements  of  1819  had  the  effect 
of  strengthening  freshman  year  and  of  giving  increased 
mathematical  development  to  the  entire  course,  and 
the  classics  were  once  more  temporarily  omitted  from 
the  senior  schedule. 


I 


Fbesrmait 
Yeab 

(Both  terms) 

Arithmetic, 

Geography, 

English  gram- 
mar and  com- 
position, 

Mair'9  "Intro- 
duction," 

Xenophon, 

Ovid  and  Virgil 
( first  term,  ic- 


sophomobe 

Year 
(Both  terms) 

Arithmetic, 

Geography, 

English  gram- 
mar and  com- 
position," 

Mair's  "  Intro- 
duction," 

Collectanea, 

History, 

Algebra, 


Junior  Year      Senior  Yeab 


{First  term) 

Euclid, 

Plane  trigonom- 

(•try, 
Mensuration, 
Composition, 
History, 
Classics. 
{Second  term) 
Spherical  trigo- 
nometry. 


{First  term) 

Belles  lettres, 

Mechanics, 

Composition, 

Rhetoric, 

Moral  philoso- 
phy, 

Logic, 

Mental  philoso- 
phy, 

Politicai  econ- 
omy, 


"J^'/T^rns*:,  i" 


*  w 


i 


m 


I 


306   CURRICULUM:  ENTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 


Fbestimax 
Ykab 

(Bo(/t  terms) 

pliR'iil  in  Bi'p- 
fiiid  term  l»y 
Iloriicc ) . 
Dalzfll'a  "Col- 
lectanea grae- 
ca  ranjora." 


JuNiOB  Year       Sexiob  Year 


SornoMOBE 
Year 

(Both  terms) 

Horace       (first  ElemontJiry    as- 
torm).  tronomy, 

Navigation, 
Conic  sections, 
Algebra  applied 

to  geometry. 
Fluxions. 
Mechanics, 
Natural     tlieol- 

og}', 
Locke  "On   the 
Understand- 
ing." 
Classics. 


(.s'i(')/i(/    /(/•///)     {Second  term) 

Chemistry, 
Natural  history 
Experimental 

philosophy, 
The  same,  but 
omitting  log- 
ic, mental  phi- 
losopliy,  po- 
litical econ- 
omy, rhetoric, 
and  moral 
philosophy, 
and  substitut- 
ing advanced 
as  tronomy 
and  the  evi- 
dences of  the 
Christian  re- 
ligion. 


The  classics  omitted  in  the  above  senior  list  reappear 
in  the  list  of  1823,  in  which  year  algebra  and  history 
disappear  from  the  sophomore  curriculum. 

In  1828  a  modern  language,  French,  appears  for  the 
first  time  as  a  required  subject  in  the  regular  curricu- 
lum, but  is  announced  only  as  an  experiment,  and  it 
was  hoped  that  Spanish  also  might  be  given.  It  was 
made  a  two  years'  course  beginning  in  freshman  year 
and  so  remained  until  1833,  when  it  was  removed  from 
the  required  curriculum.* 

» In  1833  and  1834  French  and  Spanish,  and  from  1835  to  1841 
French.  Spanish,  German,  and  Italian,  were  offered  as  optionals; 
but  with  the  departure  of  Professor  .laegcr  in  1841  German 
dropped  from  the  list,  and  French.  Spanish,  and  Italian  were 
offered  for  a  vear.  after  which  until  18G9.  when  Dr.  McCosh's  new 
elective  plan'  went  into  effect,  modem  languages  are  not  men- 
tioned in  the  annual  catalogue,  although  there  was  a  succession 
of  "  teachers  "  of  French  and  German  in  the  faculty  and  for  two 
years  at  least   (1846-1847  to  1S4S1S49)   a  Trofessor  of  German. 


POVERTY  OP  CURRICULUM 


307 


We  have  seen  that  at  this  time  (1820)  Dr.  Maclean's 
suggestions  for  strengtliening  the  faculty  and  reviving 
the  College  were  adopted.  On  his  appointment  to  the 
authoritative  post  of  vice-president  steps  were  taken  to 
improve  the  curriculum,  and  we  find  mineralogy,  geol- 
()!,'y,  and  botany  offered  to  the  senior  class  of  1829-1830; 
but  the  experiment  was  abandoned  the  next  year,  and 
an  effort  to  relieve  a  certain  poverty  of  the  curriculum 
was  made  by  instituting  a  system  of  extra-curriculum 
courses  of  public  lectures,  a  system  which  lasted  until 
1882,  long  after  the  curriculum  became  modernized. 
This  poverty  of  the  curriculum  in  the  thirties  was  not 
due  primarily  to  the  lack  of  suljjects  taught  so  much  as 
to  their  multiplicity.  The  trouble  with  the  course  of 
study  was  its  scrappine.ss  in  the  upper  years.  Men  must 
have  merely  dabbled  in  studies  when  they  had  to  pur- 
sue no  less  than  eight  at  a  time,  as  juniors  and  seniors 
did.  Only  two  of  the  eight  junior  first-terra  subjects 
were  continued  into  second  term,  and  six  others  were 
added  to  fill  out  the  second  term  schedule,  so  that,  count- 
ing mathematical  subjects  individually,  by  the  end  of 
the  year  a  junior  had  been  put  through  fourteen  separate 
courses.  Seniors  found  their  second  term  schedule  some- 
what lightened,  ordinarily  taking  only  six  subjects,  two 
of  which  were  continuations  from  first  terra  and  one 
being  the  "  general  review."  Under  such  a  method — 
which  was  by  no  means  peculiar  to  Princeton — there 
could  have  been  in  most  cases  little  more  than  the 
memorizing  of  a  number  of  elemental  facts  and  rules, 

Charles  Godfrey  Leland  of  1845  says  French  was  not  taught  in  hia 
day,  though  it  had  been  taught  before,  and  offers  as  the  reason 
of  its  absence  the  fear  tliat  students  might  read  irreligious  books; 
but  he  is  certainly  mistaken,  for  while  the  language  was  not 
a  required  study  there  was  a  "  teacher  "  of  French  on  the  faculty 
and  it  was  possible  to  take  the  subject  outside  of  the  regular 
course. 


I 


I 


l;l 


I^M^i^ 


'   •  it',  'li  i 


II 


:t-\   ' 


n 


308   CURRICULUM:  ENTRANCP]  REQUIREMENTS 

the  acMiuirinj,'   of  an    ill-assorted   mass   of   information. 
And  the  nature  of  a  few  of  tlie  eourses  of  extra-curricu- 
lum lectures  indicates  that  the  need  of  somethiuR  more 
than  this  was  acutely  felt.   The  lectures  became,  in  the 
hands  of  able  men.  general  surv.-ys  of  large  fields  of 
learning,  clearing-houses  of  knowledge,  and  as  such  must 
have  been  vastly  helpful   to  undergraduates  who  had 
ears  to  hear.     In  182!)  and  18;}()  the  h-etures  were  a 
novelty.     One  course,  that  given  by  Dr.  Howell  in  an- 
atomy and  physiology,  and  as  a  remote  ancestor  of  the 
modern  conipulsorj'  course  in  hygiene  and  physical  edu- 
cation, was  made  compulsory  for  all  seniors  and  for  such 
juniors  "  as  ha     the  time."     Juniors,  moreover,  were 
permitted  to  attend  the  senior  lectures  in  chemistry  of- 
fered by  Professor  Torrey.     In   18;{0-1831  Dr.  Howell 
was  lecturing   during   the  summer   session  to   private 
classes  on  medicine  and  surgery,  and  the  next  year  Pro- 
fessor Joseph  Henry  was  delivering  public  lectures  on 
mechanical   philosophy   and   i)hysi<'s  with  experiments, 
and  a  little  later  on  civil  engineering  and  architecture, 
while  Professor  Jaeger,  who  had  been  engaged  to  ar- 
range the  college  museum  of  natural  history  and  had 
been  appointed  its  curator,  began  a  series  of  public  lec- 
tures on  natural  history.    It  was  at  this  time  that  Jaeger 
was  also  appointed  Professor  of  German  and  Italian, 
while  Professor  Ilargous  was  offering  eourses  in  French 
and  Spanish.    The  ancient  drill  in  composition  and  or- 
atory was  being  kept  up;  essays  were  frequently  re- 
quired of  all   students,  and  juniors,   sophomores,   and 
freshmen  in  alphabetical  order  delivered  orations  in  the 
prayer-hall,  while  seniors  produced  them  on  call  of  the 
faculty.    All  four  classes  were  examined  on  Sundays  in 
the   Bible,   and   on   Mondays   in  the   Greek   testament. 
Freshmen  and  sophomores  had  three  recitations  a  day  ex- 


MACLEAN'S  INFLUENCE 


309 


ci'pt  Saturday,  whon  they  had  hut  two;  juniors  had  two 
recitations,  and  seniors  one  reeitation  and  a  ieeture,  daily. 

For  the  next  thirty-four  years  (1834-18G8),  the  years 
of  Maclean's  influence,  the  changes  in  th(!  freshman  cur- 
riculum were  but  few,  first  term  consisting  of  Livy, 
Xenophon,  Latin  and  Qrcek  composition,  Roman  an- 
tiquities, algebra,  and  second  term  of  Horace,  Acschines 
"  De  Corona, "  Latin  and  Greek  composition,  and  algebra. 
In  1843-1844  history  was  added  to  the  freshman  course, 
archeology  was  substituted  for  Koman  auti(iuities,  and 
Xenophon 's  "  Memorabilia  "  for  Acschines,  Rhetoric 
was  restored  to  the  course  for  one  year  and  then  being 
dropped  did  not  reappear  for  twenty.  In  1847-1848 
Euclid  was  inserted  in  second  term  to  remain;  and  in 
1854  Dr.  Maclean  on  coming  to  the  presidency  added 
to  both  terms  biblical  history  and  geography;  and  in 
1858-1859,  algebra,  having  gone  into  the  entrance  re- 
quirements, was  finished  in  first  term. 

The  sophomore  curriculum  shows  more  change  during 
these  years.  The  classical  studies  remained  unvaried, 
Horace's  satires  and  epistles,  Demosthenes  "  De 
Corona,"  and  Greek  and  Latin  composition  being  per- 
manent units  as  first  term  subjects,  while  Cicero's  "  De 
Officiis,"  "  De  Amicitia  "  and  "  De  Senectute,"  with 
the  Iliad,  formed  the  second  term  schedule.  Archeology 
was  inserted  in  first  term  1843,  and  remained  until  Dr. 
McCosh  either  struck  it  out  or  gave  it  its  right  name 
by  substituting  Greek  and  Roman  history  in  1868.  In 
1854  Dr.  Maclean  restored  history,  which  had  been  a 
sophomore  subject  for  one  year  (1839),  and  in  1856  he 
restored  rhetoric  to  both  terms,  where  it  had  been  also 
for  one  year  (1843),  but  had  been  discarded,  and  he 
added  Dr.  Charles  Hodge's  "  Way  of  Lif.  "  to  both 
terms.    Two  years  later  he  strengthened  tlie  inathemati- 


if 


M^ 


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m  CURRICULUM:  EMTRAXCK  REQi'IREMEXTS 


lU 


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cal  side  of  soplidiiioiv  year  hy  relocating  Euclid,  wliich 
used  to  be  begun  in  t'reshiiian  year  an<l  t uded  in  first 
term  of  sophomore  year,  back  entirely  intn  the  frestinian 
year,  and  by  taking  spherical  trigonometrj'  out  of  sec- 
ond term  and  placing  it  in  first  term  with  plane 
trigonometry,  which  had  been  there  since  lH;i9.  In  its 
place  in  second  term  he  brought  down  from  the  junior 
curriculum  analytical  genu  try,  mensuration,  surveying, 
and  navigation.  Ratio  aiul  proportion  was  a  soplioinore 
first  term  subject  from  1840-1859  inclusive,  and  mathe- 
matical and  physical  geography  from  1843  to  1853. 

The  hand  of  Dr.  Maclean  was  still  more  evident  in 
the  growth  of  the  junior  curriculum.    During  his  vice- 
presidency  junior  year  was  stiffened,  and  on  his  acces- 
sion to  the  presidency  undoubtedly  improved.     But  all 
his  changes  were  strictly  conservative,  and   if  a  new 
science  were  introduced  it  was  very  likely  to  bi'  iialanced 
by  a  new  biblical  or  semi-religious  subject.    In  1839  the 
junior  course   for  first  term  consisted  of  mathematics 
(analytical   and   descriptive  geometry  and   differential 
calculus,  all  of  which  had  been  there  since  1830)  ;  clas- 
sics (Cicero  "  Dc  Oratore,"  and  Euripides),  philosophy 
(evidences  of  Christianity  and  philosophy  of  mind,  both 
of  which  had  been  there  since  1830).    In  second  term 
mathematics  (integral  calculus  and  mechanics,  the  for- 
mer since  1830,  the  latter  since  1822) ;  classics  (Cicero 
"  De  Oratore,"  and  Sophocles)  ;  philosophy    (Paley's 
"Natural  Theology'"  since  1822).  and  civil  architec- 
ture (since  1835).    Various  insignificant  changes  in  the 
classical  authors  occurred,  but  the  first  genuine  advance 
in  junior  year  came  in  1845  when  botany  was  intro- 
duced paralleled  by  zoology  in  1853,  physical  geography 
in  1854,  and  in  1855  history  and  the  time-honored  senior 
subject,  natural  philosophy ;  and  as  a  corrective  he  also 


?*«,, 


It.      i 
I  * 

h 


LELAND'S  OPINION 


311 


put  iu  I'ulcy's  "  Ilonu  Pauliuu-."  Logic  canio  the 
next  year,  brought  down  from  senior  year,  and  in  1859 
civil  architecture  was  moved  up  into  senior  year,  where 
it  belonged  if  anywhere. 

In  senior  year  in  the  thirties  two  courses  ran  through 
both  terms,  natural  philosophy  and  astronomy.  In  first 
terra  the  senior  pursued  courses  in  logic,  moral  phi- 
losophy, and  political  ectmoiny  (1822-1845  and  from  18ti5 
on)  and  after  1848  chemistry,  which  had  been  a  second 
term  subject  since  1822.  Aristotle's  "  Art  of  Poetry  " 
was  a  first  term  subject  from  1840  to  1865,  when  it  dis- 
appeared. Dr.  Maclean  added  Butler's  "  Analogy  " 
in  first  terra  in  1855.  In  the  second  term  the  senior 
found,  besides  natural  philosophy  and  astronomy,  chem- 
istry (after  1848)  and  United  States  constitution  (from 
1834  to  1842),  the  first  appearance  at  Princeton  of  any 
course  in  American  History.  In  1843  geology  and  min- 
eralogy were  restored,  zoology  being  added  in  1848  and 
constitutional  law  in  1850,  while  in  1854  Dr.  Maclean 
added  a  geology  course  running  through  both  terms. 

When  Charles  Godfrey  Leland  (1845)  wrote  his 
"  Memoirs  "  and,  looking  back  on  "  closely  cramped, 
orthodox,  hidebound,  matheraatical  Princeton,"  recorded 
his  opinion  that  it  was  "  literally  in  spite  of  our  edu- 
cation that  we  learned  anything  worth  know-ing  at 
Princeton — as  it  was  then,"  he  was  thinking  chiefly  of 
junior  year  in  the  early  forties,  before  most  of  Dr.  IMac- 
lean's  changes  went  into  effect.  His  adjectives  are  not 
ill  chosen;  the  course  was  undoubtedly  cramped  and 
mathematical — hide-bound  if  one  pleases — and  Prince- 
ton was  nothing  if  not  orthodox.  But  eager,  brilliant, 
precocious  though  this  young  philistine  was,  one  can- 
not avoid  the  suspicion  that  had  his  frame  of  mind  in 
College  been  a  little  less  resentful  toward  the  discipline 


m 


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if 


I'M^'.. 


t    ;i 


312  CURRICULUM :  ENTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 

he  ncftkd  and  the  orthodoxy  :-  led,  in  spite  of  his 

dyspeptic  condition  he  might  have  carried  through  life 
a  happier  memory  of  Princeton,  even  with  her  faults, 
than  that  of  "  Mala  Mater." 

Mr,  Leland  should  liave  been  born  thirty  years  later, 
for  under  President  McCosh  a  new  order  of  things  came 
into   being.     The  additions   to  entrance   requirements 
were  slight  and  gradual,  but  the  changes  in  the  curricu- 
lum were  vital  and  followed  one  another  in  swift  suc- 
cession.    In  1867-1868,  the  last  year  of  Dr.  Maclean's 
presidency,  the  entrance  requirements  were :  Latin :  Caesar 
(five  books),  Sallust  (Catiline  or  Jugurtha),  Virgil  (Ec- 
logues and  six  books  of  the  yEneid),  Cicero  (six  Ora- 
tions), Mair's  "  Introduction,"  grammar  and  prosody; 
Greek:  Gospels,  Xenophon,  Reader  (Bullion  or  Felton), 
grammar  and  prosody;  Mathematics:  arithmetic,  alge- 
bra   (through   simple  equations),   Euclid    (one  book); 
English  grammar ;  geography.    In  1870  the  English  re- 
quirement was  made  more  exacting,  grammar,  orthogra- 
phy,   punctuation,    composition,    ancient    and    modern 
geography  being  specified,  and  Arnold's  "  Latin  Prose 
Composition  "  taking  the  place  of  Mair's  "  Introduc- 
tion."   This  was  the  first  time  that  English  composition 
had  appeared  in  an  American  college  entrance  require- 
ment.^   But  if  with  that  exception  these  requirements 
showed  no  remarkable  change  the  catalogues  for  1868- 
1869  made  it  plain  that  the  course  of  study  was  to  be 
speedily  and  materially  improved.  This  was  the  catalogue 
in  which  Dr.  McCosh  announced  the  introduction  of  his 
elective  plan  and  published  a  conspectus  of  the  proposed 
new  curriculum,  to  go  into  effect  the  next  year.   Fresh- 
man and  sophomore  years  were  still  to  be  composed  en- 
tirely of  required  subjects,  the  freshman  schedule  con- 
•  E.  C.  Broome,  "  College  Admiseion  Requirements,"  p.  62. 


McCOSII'S  ELECTIVE  PLAN 


313 


sisting  of  Latin,  Greek,  mathematics,  rhetoric,  and  elocu- 
tion, and  the  sophomore  schedule  adding  to  these  natural 
history  and  a  modern  language.  The  elective  plan  became 
operative  in  the  upperclass  years  under  the  following 
scheme : 

JUNIOR   YEAR 

Required:  Mechanics,  natural  philosophy,  astronomy; 

Logic,  metaphysics,  psychology; 

Physical  geography,  geology; 

Rhetoric,  English  language; 

Relations  of  science  and  religion. 
Elective:    Two  from  the  following:   Higher  mathematics,  Greek, 
Latin,  modern  language   (French  or  German). 

SENIOR   YEAR 

Required:  Chemistry,  natural  philosophy,  astronomy; 

Moral  philosophy; 

Political  economy; 

English  language  and  literature; 

Relations  of  science  and  religion. 
Elective:    Six  hours  a  week  from  the  following  one-hour  subjects: 


Natural  philosophy  and  as- 
tro;     ly. 

Organic'  and  applied  chem- 
istry. 

History  of  philosopi.y, 

Modern  history. 


Political  science, 
Greek  language  and  literature, 
Latin  language  and  literature. 
Modern  language  (German  or 
French ) . 


The  content  of  the  electives  was  extended  by  degrees, 
and  nine  years  later,  in  1877,  Dr.  MeCosh  presented  to 
the  board  of  trustees  a  report  on  the  course  of  study, 
which  was  a  summary  of  the  educational  creed  of  his 
faculty  and  is  the  best  resume  of  his  curriculum  in  its 
earlier  state.  In  most  respects  the  course  was  the  same 
as  that  of  the  best  American  colleges  of  the  day,  but  it 
had  certain  characteristics  which  he  believed  showed 
that,  while  the  College  had  been  making  the  advances 
in  material  well-being  which  have  been  already  described, 
it  had  been  improving  no  less  in  its  curriculum  and 
method  of  instruction.     The  entrance  requirements  for 


I' »        •■ 

I*     i' 


?  <  .ii, 


314  CURRICULIBI:  ENTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 

the  academic  department  were  the  same  as  those  of  1868, 
except  that  three  books  of  Xenophon  were  now  demanded 
instead  of  two,  two  books  of  Homer  had  been  added, 
and  the  requirement  in  algebra  had  been  slightly  raised. 
Two  years  of  Latin  and  Greek  were  required  of  all  ac- 
ademic students,  and  encouragements  were  hold  out  in 
the  arrangement  of  electives  to  induce  them  to  continue 
in  these  studies.    In  addition  to  the  three  fundamental 
subjects  freshmen  now  studied  English  and  French,  and 
sophomores  studied  English,  German,  physiology,  and 
natural  history.     At  the  end  of  sophomore  year  there 
was  a  comprehensive  examination  in  all  freshman  and 
sophomore  studies.    Those  who  passed  this  test  were  al- 
lowed to  proceed  into  the  junior  curriculum.    They  were 
introduced   in   philosophy   to   psychology,   logic,  meta- 
physics, natural  theology  and  history,  and  in  science  to 
mechanics,  physics,  and  physical  geography  or  geology. 
While  approaching  new  subjects,  however,  the  junior 
had  to  continue  some  of  the  old.    For  instance,  English 
was  required,  but  in  the  advanced  form   of  English 
literature.    So  was  it  with  electives.    A  junior  had  to 
choose  two  out  of  the  four :  mathematics,  Greek,  Latin, 
French  or  German,  going  on  to  higher  studies  in  each. 
Similarly  a  senior  was  still  required  to  pursue  certain 
fundamental   studies:   astronomy,   physics,   geology  or 
physical  geography,  chemistry,  ethics,  political  economy, 
English  literature,  relations  of  science  and  religion ;  and 
from  the  following  list  of  eleven  electives  he  had  to  select 
four :  Latin  and  the  science  of  language,  Greek,  German, 
and  French,  history  of  philosophy,  political  science  and 
international  law,  history,  mathematics,  physics,  chemis- 
try (applied  and  organic),  astronomy  (practical),  mu- 
seum work. 

Tho  College  was  avoiding  two  opposite  extremes;  it 


(■'I; 


>**-T(^/   VKr^lv^ari^  la 


■k  .>il«h""'"TS*««J« 


SCHOOL  OF  SCIENCE 


315 


it 


did  not  grant  the  opportunity  of  selection  until  stu- 
dents were  ready  to  select  knowingly ;  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  it  prevented  narrowness  by  requiring  all  students 
to  have  competv^'nt  knowledge  of  credited  fundamental 
branches  of  a  liberal  education.  Special  attention  was 
given  to  English  composition,  essays  being  required 
each  term,  and  elocution  and  rhetoric  being  taught  to 
the  three  lower  classes,  while  seniors  delivered  orations 
before  the  whole  college  during  first  and  second  terms. 
An  endowment  had  been  given  for  a  prize  in  extempore 
debate,  the  Lynde  Prize,  the  first  debating  prize  offered 
in  any  American  college,  and  still  the  leading  trophy 
offered  to  Princeton  debaters.  Ex-President  Maclean 
must  have  looked  on  with  wondering  and  wistful  eyes 
when  he  read  that  $2,000  a  year  was  being  distributed 
in  prizes  for  one  sort  or  another,  in  amounts  ranging 
from  the  Stinnecke  Scholarship,  worth  five  hundred  dol- 
lars a  year  for  three  years,  open  to  academic  sophomores, 
down  to  the  Junior  Orator  Medals,  worth  twenty  dollars 
apiece.  In  fellowships  Princeton  was  leading  the  col- 
leges with  eight  offered  to  graduate  students  in  mental 
science,  classics,  mathematics,  experimental  science,  his- 
tory, modern  languages,  and  social  science.  In  the 
graduate  department  forty-two  students  were  enrolled 
and  the  definite  organization  of  the  department  was 
being  authorized  experimentally  that  year  by  the  board 
of  trustees. 

The  John  C.  Green  School  of  Science,  founded  in 
1873,  was  now  four  years  old.  The  entrance  require- 
ments had  originally  been:  English:  orthography,  punc- 
tuation, English  grammar,  English  composition,  rhetoric 
(six  chapters  of  Hart's  text-book),  and  geography 
(Guyot's)  ;  History:  United  States  history  (Willson's)  ; 
Mathematics:  arithmetic  entire  including  the  metric  sys- 


jv-».VTs.r.'.'aiia^-*-'jrrfl»*  if 


,'  \ 


•^4 


316   CURRICULUM:  ENTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 

tem,   algebra    (Ray's  Higher)    through   the   theory   of 
equations,  plane  and  solid  geometry;  Latin:  grammar, 
Caesar  (3  books),  Virgil  (2  books).    But  these  require- 
ments had  proved  to  be  altogether  too  ambitious  and 
by  1877  the  algebra  demanded  had  been  reduced   to 
quadratics  of  one  unknown  quantity,  and  the  geomet 
to  only  one  book  of  Euclid,  while  United  States  history 
had  been  omitted.^    The  interesting  thing  about  the  list 
is  that  no  science  whatever  was  required  for  admission. 
Mr.   Broome  has  suggested  that  a  thorough   drill   in 
classics  and  mathematics  was  considered  preferable  as  a 
mental  training  for  work  in  the  scientific  school  to  a  poor 
preparation  in  science  such  as  the  preparatory  schools 
of  that  day  afforded ;  and  one  may  hardly  quarrel  with 
this  explanation. 

The  obj.  ct  of  the  course  was  to  give  instruction  in 
science  but  with  a  distinctly  humanistic  background.  In 
fact  the  only  courses  that  could  be  called  technical  were 
analytical  chemistry  and  assaying.  Candidates  for  the 
bachelor  of  science  degree  therefore  followed  certain 
studies  in  common  with  academic  students— in  freshman 
and  sophomore  years,  English,  French,  and  Gorman ;  in 
junior  year,  psychology  or  logic,  and  in  senior  year, 
ethics  and  political  economy.  The  course  leading  to  the 
bachelor's  degree  in  science  was  as  follows: 


Freshman  Yeab 

Mathematics, 

Mineralogy, 

Botany, 

Drawing, 

English  (rhetoric,  essay?,  elo- 
cution). 

Modern  languages  (French  and 
German ) . 


Junior  Yeab 

Mathematics, 
Mechanics, 
Physics, 
Chemistry, 
Physical  geography, 
English  literature, 
Logic  or  psychology, 
Modern  languages. 


I  i 


•  Replaced  in  1879. 


CIVIL  ENGINEERING 


317 


SOPSOMOHE  YEAB 

Mathematics, 

Inorganic  chemistry, 

Mineralogy, 

Botany, 

Pliysioiogy, 

English  (rhetoric,  essays,  elo- 
cution ) , 

Modem  languages  (French  and 
German). 


Senior  Yeab 

Astronomy, 

Physics  ( lalwratory ) , 

Chemistry, 

Biology, 

Mineralogy, 

Geology, 

Drawing, 

English  literature, 

Political  economy, 

German. 


At  the  beginning  of  junior  year,  a  student  wishing  to 
concentrate  his  attention  on  a  particular  branch  might 
elect  one  of  the  four  following  divisions  or  groups  in 
which  special  instruction  was  provided :  mathematics  and 
mechanics;  biology  and  geology;  chemistry  and  min- 
eralogy; physics. 

Candidates  for  the  degree  of  civil  engineer  m  the 
school  of  science  underwent  the  same  entrance  examina- 
tions as  the  bachelor  of  science  candidates,  but  the  course 
was  entirely  required,  although  in  part  identical  with 
that  offered  to  candidates  for  the  science  degree.  Fresh- 
men civil  engineers  shared  with  bachelors  of  science 
mathematics,  English,  modern  languages,  mineralogy, 
and  geometrical  drawing.  In  addition,  they  followed 
courses  in  geodesy  and  topographical  drawing.  Sopho- 
more civil  engineers  shared  with  bachelors  of  science 
mathematics,  descriptive  geometry,  chemistry,  English, 
modern  languages,  and  followed,  in  addition,  courses  in 
stereotomy  and  topographical  drawing. 

In  junior  year  the  civil  engineers  studied  mathematics, 
mechanics,  physics,  English,  with  bachelor  of  science 
candidates  and,  in  addition,  geodesy,  stereotomy,  topo- 
graphical drawing;  and  in  senior  year  they  followed 
with  bachelors  of  science  courses  in  astronomy,  physics, 
English,  and,  in  addition,  applied  mechanics,  machines, 
constructions,  geodesy,  stereutomy,  topographical  draw- 


'■mi 


318  CURRICULUM :  ENTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 

ing;  and  each  candidate  for  the  civil  engineering  de- 
gree had  to  present  a  thesis  before  graduation. 

Frankly,  in  an  attempt  to  humanize  a  course  whose 
value  must  depend  almost  entirely  on  the  technical 
training  afforded,  the  makers  of  this  plan  of  civil  engi- 
neering studies  had  not  achieved  a  very  happy  result. 
The  issue  had  not  been  squarely  met;  theoretically  civil 
engineering  had  no  logical  place  in  the  Princeton  general 
scheme,  but  having  been  given  a  footing  it  should  have 
been  kept  purely  technical,  or  else  extended  over  more 
than  four  years. 

Ten  years  later  (1887-1888)  the  academic  entrance 
requirements  had  been  increased  by  the  addition  of 
United  States  history  and  a  short  essay,  by  extending 
algebra  through  two  unknown  quantities,  and  by  de- 
manding two  books  of  Euclid  instead  of  one.  The 
school  of  science  requirements  in  English  and  arith- 
metic had  been  made  identical  with  those  of  the  academic 
department;  plane  geometry  entire  was  now  called  for 
instead  of  only  one  book  of  the  immortal  Euclid ;  physi- 
cal geography  (Guyot's)  and  the  elements  of  French 
(grammar  and  fifty  pages  of  prose)  were  new  require- 
ments added  in  1886,  and,  with  Caesar  (five  books  instead 
of  three)  and  Cicero  (four  Orations)  in  place  of  Virgil, 
completed  the  list,  showing  substantial  advance  in 
mathematics  and  Latin  over  the  requirements  of  1877. 
As  a  whole,  there  was  less  Latin  required  than  in  the 
academic  list,  but  more  geometry,  besides  two  entirely 
new  subjects,  one  of  them  a  modern  language;  and  in 
physical  geography  an  approach  to  a  science  require- 
ment had  been  made.  Civil  engineering  candidates  took 
the  same  entrance  examinations  as  the  bachelor  of  sci- 
ence candidates,  but  omitted  the  Latin  (from  1886),  and 
since  nothing  was  substituted,  entrance  to  the  eivil  engi- 


:;7-:i  :  ■"Vi*.^ 


■Wl 


-mmiiL'j^<z'£ff?^.m^,r'':.^jt^*''j}'.iv-  m^.^:.^  ' 


CIVIL  ENGINEERING 


319 


ncering  course  was  by  that  amount  the  easier,  a  fact 
which  did  not  take  long  to  become  known,  with  the  result 
that  numbers  of  men  entered  the  civil  engineering  de- 
partment who  had  no  intention  of  pursuing  that  pro- 
fession.^ 

•  The  complete  list  of  entrance  requirements  in  1887  was  as 
follows : 


Fob  the  Deobee  of  A.B. 


English 


Latin 


Greek 


Grammar  (Whitney, 
Reed,  or  Kellogg) 

Modern  geography 
(Guyot) 

United  States  his- 
tory ( Anderson  or 
Johnston ) 

Essay  ( subject  an- 
nounced annually) 


Fob  the  Degree  of  B.S.  and 
C.E. 

English 

(Same  as  A.B.) 


Latin 


Grammar  and  pros- 

(Not 

ody 

required 

Capsar  (5  books) 

of  C.  E. 

Sallust   (Catiline  or 

candidates) 

Jugurtha ) 

Grammar 

Virgil       (JEm'\d     6 

Caesar  (5  books) 

books) 

Cicero  ( 4  Orations ) 

Cicero  (6  Orations) 

Composition    (Jones, 

or  Arnold  12  chap- 

ters) 

Geography    of    An- 

cient Italy. 

Modern 

Grammar  and  pros- 

Language 

ody 

French       (grammar 

Xenophon  (Anabasis 

and   50   pages   of 

4  books) 

prose). 

Reader  (Goodwin) 

Science 

Homer       (Iliad      2 

Arnold's       Physical 

books) 

Geography. 

Composition  (Jones) 

Geography     of     An- 

cient   Greece    and 

Asia  Minor. 

t 


^„*fl» 


"ffi»f':«^iS(S«^''^3rag:'7u^vwfe"iK>i 


320  CURRICULUM:  ENTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 


6i! 


n 


I!        ) 


\r' 


At  this  time  (1887-1888)  Bible,  oratory,  and  essays 
were  still  being  required  of  all  students.  In  the  aca- 
demic department  the  freshman  schedule  consisted  of 
fifteen  hours  a  week  devoted  to  Latin,  Greek,  mathe- 
matics, and  French,  all  required.  The  sophomore 
schedule,  also  all  required,  consisted  likewise  of  fifteen 
hours,  devoted  in  first  term  to  Latin,  Greek,  mathe- 
matics, history,  French,  and  anatomy,  English  taking 
the  place  of  history  in  second  and  third  terms,  and 
zoology  ousting  anatomy  in  second  term  and  being  itself 
replaced  in  third  term  by  botany.  The  last  three  courses 
were  one-hour  courses.  Dr.  McCosh  had  encountered  the 
old  difficulty  of  finding  room  for  the  sciences. 

The  academic  junior  schedule  each  term  consisted  of 
fourteen  hours  a  week  of  which  eight  were  required : 

I  II  III 

PhysicB    4      Physics    3  Physics    3 

English    2      English    2  English    2 

Psychology    2      Psychology      and  Logic    3 

Logic   3 

And,  in  addition,  a  junior  had  to  elect  six  hours  from 
the  following  two-hour  courses: 

I  II  m 

Latin  Latin  Latin 

Greek  Greek  Greek 

Mathematics  Mathematics  Mathematics 

History  History  History 


French 
Anglo-Saxon. 


German 

Physical  geography 


German 

Physical  geography. 


Mathematics 


Mathematics 


Arithmetic  entire,  in- 
cluding the  metric 
system. 

Algebra  through 

quadratics  of  2 
unknown  quanti- 
ties. 

Geometry,  Euclid  (2 
books). 


Arithmetic  entire,  in- 
cluding the  metric 
system. 

Algebra  through 

quadratics  of  2 
unknown  quanti- 
ties. 

Geometry  (Plane  ge- 
ometry entire). 


'ki 


CURRICULUM  OF  1887 


321 


The  noticeable  features  of  junior  year  were  first,  that  a 
luuguage  course  was  unavoidable  in  first  term,  and  sec- 
ond, there  was  no  course  in  English  save  a  first  term 
two-hour  course  in  Anglo-Saxon. 

The  academic  senior  schedule  in  first  and  second  terms 
consisted  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  hours  a  week,  of  which  nine 
were  required,  and  of  thirteen  or  fourteen  hours  in 
third  term,  of  which  seven  were  required : 


3 
2 
3 


Astronomy    4 

Chemistry   2 

Ethics    3 


II 

Science  and  reli- 
gion       1 

Chemistry   2 

Jurisprudence  and 
political  science  2 

Geology   4 


III 
Science  and  reli- 
gion       1 

Chemistry  2 

Jurisprudence  and 
political  science  2 


and,  in  addition,  a  senior  elected  six  hours  (seven  if  he 
those  a  three-hour  course)  from  the  following  two-hour 
subjects,  which  were  so  grouped  as  to  suggest,  though 
not  require,  concentrated,  or  at  least  coherent,  choice : 


Philosophy 

LiTEBATUBE 

Science 

History  of  philosophy 

English 

Mathematics 

Metaphysics 

Greek 

Practical  astronomy 

Science  and  religion 

Latin 

Physics 

Comparative  politics 

French 

Applied  chemistry 

International   and   con- 

German 

Laboratory  chemistry 

stitutional  law 

Sanskrit 

Biology,      or      paleon 

Physiology     and     psy- 

tology 

chology 

Histology 

Pedagogics 

Archeology 

History  of  art 

In  the  school  of  science  all  candidates  except  civil  engi- 
neers pursued  the  same  studies  until  the  end  of  first  term 
in  junior  year.  These  were:  modern  languages,  mathe- 
matics, graphics,  surveying,  general  chemistry,  analyti- 
cal chemistry,  mineralogy,  botany,  biology.  And  in 
common  with  ac'idemic  students,  scientific  students  pur- 


322  CIRRICL'LUM:  ENTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 


I  .1 


■t 


sued  psycholof?y,  logic,  poiitifal  economy,  EnRlish  litera- 
ture, physics,  astronomy,  g«ology,  anatomy  and  physiol- 
ogy, rhetoric.    In  second  term  a  school  of  science  junior 
elected  one  of  the  following  five  main  courses:  general 
science,  chemistry  and  mineralogy,  chemistry  and  biol- 
ogy, mathematics  and  mechanics,  each  of  which  except 
the  first,  in  general  science,  enabled  him  to  concentrate 
his  studies.    In  the  general  science  course,  nevertheless, 
he  found  in  senior  year  further  opportunity  to  exercise 
selection  by  a  system  of  grouped  studies,  the  groups  be- 
ing: (a)  practical  astronomy;  {h)  mathematical  physics; 
(c)    comparative   politics  and   international   law;    (d) 
physiological    psychology,    biology,    and    morphology; 
{/)  archeology,  art,  strength  of  materials,  stereotomy. 
The  civil  engineering  entrance  requirements  in  1887- 
1888  were  the  same  as  those  for  the  science  course  ex- 
cept that  no  Latin  was  asked  for;  but  the  course  dif- 
fered at  once  after  entrance,  though  certain  studies — 
modern  languages.  English,  psychology  and  logic,  politi- 
cal science,  general  chemistry,  mineralogy— were  still 
carried  on  in  common  with  science  students.     The  hu- 
manistic element  was,  therefore,  still  strongly  persistent. 
In  the  revision  of  the   academic  curriculum  under 
President  Patton  in  1889  freshman  year  was  left  entirely 
required  of  fifteen  hours  distributed  as  follows:  Latin, 
4;  Greek,  5;  mathematics,  4;  English,  2,  and  in  second 
term  (the  College  having  gone  back  to  a  two-terra  sys- 
tem)   one  hour  was  taken  from  Greek  and  given  to 
anatomy. 

An  important  step  was  taken  by  extending  the  elective 
principle  down  into  sophomore  year,  requiring  in  first 
term  two  hours  each  of  Latin,  Greek,  mathematics,  mod- 
ern languages,  history,  and  chemistry,  substituting  in 
second  term  for  the  last  three  subjects  English,  logic,  and 


'*:! 


it 


:::^'jK^wi^^'.i:z '  -!•'  i-zr* 


•'\»- 


REVISION  OF  1889 


323 


zoology  and  botany;  and  in  order  to  /uake  up  Ids 
schedule  of  sixteen  hours,  requiring  the  '>phomore  to 
elect-  two  of  the  foil, wing  two-hour  subjects:  Latin, 
Greek,  mathematics,  French,  German. 

Juniors  were  still  required  to  .ake  ei^ht  hours  in  each 
term  in  English,  physics,  psychology,  and  political  econ- 
omy. Besides  these  the  junior  elected  three  subjects  of 
two  hours  each,  making  a  total  schedule  of  fourteen 
hours.  The  electives  were  grouped  under  siven  depart- 
ments offering  twent;  one  courses  in  all  as  follows: 

Mental  phi)08ophy 3      Modern  languages   2 

Political  science  and  history.  6     English  2 

Classics    4      Mathematics  and  mathemat- 
ical science 2 

Natural  science    2 


The  extension  of  the  elective  principle  was  manifested 
in  senior  year  by  a  decrease  in  the  number  of  required 
hours  to  five  in  first  term  (astronomy  3,  ethics  2)  and 
four  in  second  term  (geology  3,  evidences  of  Christianity 
1),  and  the  selection  of  ten  hours  from  a  list  of  forty- 
five  courses. 

Summing  up  the  situation  of  the  Princeton  curriculum 
after  the  revision  in  1889  it  is  apparent  that  the  ^udies 
of  freshman  year  were  all  required  and  were  substan- 
tially the  old  standard  college  studies.  In  sophomore 
year  the  elective  studies  were  merely  an  extension  of 
these  freshman  subjects,  offering  only  two  ne\\  sub- 
jects, chemistry  and  logic,  but  permitting  the  sophomore 
to  give  more  special  attention  to  Latin,  Greek,  mathe- 
matics, and  the  modem  languages  jf  he  had  any  prefer- 
ences. Junior  and  senior  years  had  still  a  substantial 
required  basis,  the  electives  in  each  having  as  prere- 
quisites fundamental  courses  in  the  studies  usually  lorm- 
ing  a  liberal  education.    The  revl-ion  clearly  h.n  I  no  in- 


f!i     ^'v 


324   CURRICULUM:  ENTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 

tontiou  of  doing  awjiy  with  th.-  core  of  nMiviind  studios 
whirh  preserved  the  K">'»d  featur.'s  of  the  American  col- 
lege    eurrieiilum.      Tlir    arraii^.-inci.t    of    the    eh^etives 
allowed  any  student  to  in  ike  his  ehoiee  with  intelligence, 
having  had  the  elements  of  all  in  his  preliminary  re- 
quired  studies ;  the  latter,  on  the  other  hand,  prepared 
him   for  that  ehoiee.     This  supg.'sts  the  principle  on 
which   the   clectives   were   arranged,   namely,   that   the 
studies  most  central  and  of  general  character  were  to  he 
refiuire.l  as  furnishing  the  discipline  and  open  view  of 
the  liherally  educated  man,  and  that  the  clectives  were 
to  be  introduced  gradually  with  the  most  central  and 
general  courses,  these  in  turn  to  develop  away  more  and 
more  from  the  general  to  the  special,  the  number  in- 
creasing steadily  as  the  more  highly  specialized  were 
approached.    The  general  or  introductory  clectives  were, 
therefore,  placed  in  junior  year,  the  more  specialized  in 
senior  year.    It  was  believed  that  this  would  lead  to  more 
intelligent  and  coherent  choice  on  the  part  of  the  stu- 
dent, and  in  this  he  was  to  be  aided  by  the  scheduling  of 
the  courses  themselves,  the  more  specialized  and  clearly 
incongruous  being  mutually  exclusive. 

The  institution  of  special  honors  was  to  operate  in  the 
same  way ;  for,  while  general  honors  were  preserved  for 
those  who  preferred  general  studies,  special  honors  were 
instituted  for  those  devoting  themselves  to  particular 
lines.  Unless  the  standard  retrograded  and  the  basic 
principles  of  the  Princeton  curriculum  were  changed, 
the  time  could  not  be  far  distant  when  intelligent  and 
coherent  choice  of  studies  would  be  not  merely  per- 
missible but  obligator>' ;  and  this  in  a  word  was  the 
feature  of  the  revision  of  the  curriculum  m  the  next 

administration.  ....... 

In  the  last  year  of  President  Patton's  administration 


TS 

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ro- 
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and 
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and 

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Procter  Hall 


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NEW  CURRICULUM 


325 


certain  changes  in  the  school  of  science  entrance  re- 
quirements      le  adopted  modifying  their  rigidity  and 
raising  thei'.      -^ndard  without  disregarding  the  claims 
of  the  avert;/    school  preparing  for  Princeton,  and  ac- 
cording science  ample  recognition  among  entrance  sub- 
jects.   That  a  fresh  revision  and  co-ordination  of  the 
curriculum  had  become  necessary  owing  to  the  growth 
of  the  student  body  and  the  extension  of  the  list  of 
electives  was  also  apparent  toward  the  close  of  Presi- 
dent Patton's  administration.     Whatever  the  value  of 
the  lecture  method  of  instruction  abroad,  at  Princeton  it 
was  proving  inadequate  as  a  means  of  getting  hold  of 
the  average  American  undergraduate  who  was  only  too 
willing  to  allow  the  lecturer  to  do  all  the  work  during  the 
term,  while  he  acted  the  part  of  a  more  or  less  delighted 
listener,  and  prepared  for  the  final  test  by  means  of  a 
syllabus  absorbed  whole  the  night  before  examination. 
The  list  of  electives  had  likewise  grown  unwieldy  and 
men  were  making  their  choices  too  frequently  without 
any  definite  plan  except  the  labor-saving  one  described 
above.     The  large  number  of  electives  open  to  seniors 
and  juniors  together  had  also  proved  troublesome,  be- 
sides being  illogical  and  theoretically  unsound. 

Turning  back,  therefore,  to  the  basal  theory  to  which 
Princeton  was  committed,  namely,  that  the  aim  of  the 
American  college  and  of  the  university  developed  out 
of  that  college  is  not  only  to  make  scholars  but  chiefly 
to  produce  a  body  of  men  conformed  to  a  type,  trained 
in  common  disciplines,  furnished  with  a  .common  body  of 
knowledge,  and  prepared  in  fundamentals  for  citizen- 
ship and  the  life  of  society,  as  the  premise  of  a  reorgan- 
ization of  the  curriculum  the  following  principles  were 
again  clarified  and  laid  down  by  the  committee  on  re- 
vision appointed  soon  after  Professor  Wilson  was  elected 


Hi 


Hi 


Ht*-   -^f!" 


tHi 


1  ■    -ii 


4 


r'i   .;   I 


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f  i'.l 


!   I 


32G   CURRICULUM:  ENTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 

to  the  presidency.  All  students  should  bo  required  in 
their  earlier  years  to  pursue  a  certain  body  of  studies 
either  identical  or  of  similar  kind.  As  these  students 
come  from  a  variety  of  schools,  public  and  private,  and 
as  Princeton  does  not  rely,  as  some  other  institutions 
may,  on  a  State  system  of  education  of  which  the  uni- 
versity is  the  crown,  thus  assuring  itself  of  a  large  pro- 
portion of  uniformly  trained  candidates,  a  year's  work 
in  classics  and  mathematics  should  be  required  of  all. 
This  is  their  formative  year,  the  year  of  their  whipping 
into  shape,  of  their  being  made  homogeneous,  and  ready 
for  the  work  of  succeeding  years.  It  is  spent  in  the 
fundamental  subjects  of  the  cultivated  man's  education, 
carried  beyond  the  school  point  of  view  and  taught  in 
university  surroundings  and  under  university  methods. 
Sophomore  year  is  also  largely  a  preparatory  year  but 
in  a  different  sense,  being  given  over  to  courses  intro- 
ductory to  science  and  philosophy  and  pointing  con- 
stantly to  the  rhoices  the  sophomore  will  have  to  make 
of  the  subjects  in  which  he  will  soon  be  giving  more 
special  attention  under  the  system  of  "  assisted  "  or 
"  directed  "  electives. 

The  degree  of  bachelor  of  letters  was  at  the  same 
time  instituted,  not  as  an  excrescence  on  the  Princeton 
scheme  like  the  bachelor  of  architecture  degree  experi- 
mented with  by  Dr.  McCosh,  nor  even  of  doubtful  logic 
like  the  civil  engineering  degree  in  the  school  of  science, 
but  as  essentially  a  humanistic  degree  open  to  those  who 
entered  college  without  offering  Greek,  and  who  in  the 
later  years  of  their  course  pursued  studies  in  the  human- 
istic or  philosophical  departments  as  distinct  from  the 
scientific.  The  bachelor  of  science  degree  was  reserved 
for  those  who  devoted  themselves  to  the  mathematical 
and  scientific  departments.     The  three  bachelor's  de- 


DEPARTMENTAL  PLAN 


327 


{?rees  were  placed  on  the  same  footing  as  far  as  standards 
were  concerned,  the  only  difference  being  one  of  subject- 
matter.  The  entrance  requirements  for  the  academic  and 
scientific  departments  were  made  identical  or  practically 
so,  Greek  being  required  of  candidates  for  the  arts  degree. 
All  candidates  offered  the  same  history,  Latin,  and  Eng- 
lish, the  school  of  science  candidate  offering  more  mathe- 
matics, and  two  modern  languages  instead  of  one,  or 
else  a  science  and  advanced  standing  in  one  :nodern 
language. 

Beginning  with  sophomore  year  the  courses  were 
placed  on  a  three-hour  basis,  each  student  taking  five. 
In  this  year  the  academic  student  was  required  to  take 
a  course  in  classics,  and  a  scientific  student  a  course  in 
either  Latin  or  mathematics,  but  here  the  continuation 
of  school  work  ceased.  He  was  introduced  to  sci(  nee  and 
philosophy,  and  as  a  basis  of  common  culture  physics, 
logic,  and  psychology  were  required  of  all.  In  addition 
to  these  required  courses  a  sophomore  elected  additional 
courses  to  make  up  his  total  of  five.  These  electives 
were  carefully  planned  as  introductory  and  in  many 
eases  prerequisite  to  upperclass  courses.  Thus  a  sopho- 
more  was  almost  compelled  to  look  ahead  and  map  out 
his  future ;  at  least  he  had  to  decide  whether  he  would 
proceed  in  the  main  along  philosophical,  or  literary,  or 
scientific,  lines. 

The  upperclass  courses  were  classified  under  depart- 
ments as  already  described,  and  at  the  end  of  sophomore 
year  the  student  had  to  choose  the  department  in  which 
he  was  henceforth  to  concentrate  his  work.  According  to 
the  rules  of  the  department  he  chose,  two  (or  three) 
courses  were  fixed  for  a  junior,  the  remaining  three  (or 
two)  he  needed  to  complete  his  list  of  five,  being  selected 
with  the  proviso  that  at  lea^t  three  should  be  within  the 


iUlrii<^: 


kti'^r. 


328   CURRICULUxM :  ENTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 

division  in  which  his  department  lay  and  one  should 
be  in  somo  other.  The  fifth  course  was  thus  a  free  elec- 
tive which  he  might  choose  as  he  pleased.  In  senior 
year  he  continued  his  studios  in  his  department  unless 
ho  desired  to  change  and  had  made  his  junior  choices  in 
such  a  way  as  to  allow  him  to  satisfy  the  internal  regu- 
lations of  his  proposed  new  department. 

The  theory  underlying  this  course  of  study  is  that  the 
best  preparation  of  the  mind  for  use  in  the  affairs  of  the 
world,  as  well  as  in  the  higher  intellectual  life,  is  ob- 
tained by  adcfiuate  disciplinary  and  general  educa- 
tion followed  by  extensive  but  carefully  adjusted  study 
of  some  important  subject  in  particular.  The  depart- 
mental courses  of  the  upperclass  years  are  directly  pre- 
paratory to  the  courses  offered  in  the  graduate  school, 
and  any  of  the  bachelor  degrees,  therefore,  entitles  the 
holder  to  enroll  as  a  candidate  for  higher  degrees. 

Under  the  administration  of  President  Hibben  im- 
portant improvements  of  detail  have  already  been  made 
in  this  plan  tending  to  do  away  with  restrictions  which 
the  experience  of  the  past  nine  years  has  proved  to  be 
unnecessary  or  ill-advised.  In  the  first  place,  the  stand- 
ardization of  the  entrance  requirements  for  courses  lead- 
ing to  a  bachelor's  degree  has  been  carried  to  completion 
by  making  the  requirements  in  the  four  major  subjects 
Latin,  Greek  (or  a  modern  language),  mathematics,  and 
English  identical  for  the  three  bachelor  courses.  Greek 
being  required  only  of  eandidates  for  the  arts  degree; 
and  due  consideration  has  been  paid  to  the  preferences 
of  candidates  and  to  the  equipments  of  the  schools  by 
permitting  a  certain  range  of  choice  among  the  other 
entrance  requirements.  Thus,  in  addition  to  the  four 
major  subjects  mentioned  above,  each  candidate  must 
offer  such  a  selection  of  subjects  from  history,  modern 


STANDARDIZATION 


329 


languages,  mathematics,  science,  as  to  make  up  a  total 
of  not  less  than  five  points  for  candidates  in  arts,  and 
not  less  than  seven  for  candidates  in  science  or  letters. 
Moreover,  an  alternative  method  of  entrance  to  the 
courses  leading  to  a  bachelor's  degree  has  been  put  into 
operation,  whereby  the  candidate's  school  record  and 
attainment  are  taken  into  consideration  and  he  is  ex- 
amined in  only  the  four  major  subjects,  instead  of  the 
full  list  of  entrance  requirements. 

Similarly  the  entrance  requirements  for  the  course 
leading  to  the  degree  of  civil  engineer  have  undergone 
readjustment  so  that  to-day  the  candidate  offers  four 
major  subjects:  English;  two  of  the  three  languages, 
Latin,  French,  and  German;  algebra,  plane  and  solid 
goometry,  and  plane  trigonometry ;  and  either  physics  or 
chemistry.  In  addition  he  must  offer  at  least  five  points 
in  history,  foreign  languages,  and  science,  as  in  the  re- 
quirements for  the  bachelor's  degrees. 

As  for  the  course  of  study,  the  elective  principle  has 
been  extended  in  sophomore  year,  though  still  preserving 
the  basis  of  required  studies;  and  in  the  upperclass 
years  the  student  is  now  required  to  place  in  one  depart- 
ment only  two  of  his  five  courses,  the  other  three  being 
left  to  his  free  choice.  The  previously  operative  system 
of  formal  prerequisites  has  similarly  been  so  modified 
as  to  allow  freer  choice. 

A  notable  step  in  advance  has  been  taken  by  the 
adoption  of  a  new  plan  for  final  special  honors,  which 
is  also  in  operation.  This  plan,  based  on  the  idea  that 
honors  should  be  granted  only  to  those  who  do  special 
work  for  them,  and  not  to  those  who  merely  rank  high 
in  the  ordinary  work  of  the  curriculum,  completes  the 
intention  of  the  course  of  study  by  enabling  students 
of  certain  standing  and  of  marked  tastes  and  ability  to 


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330  CURRICULUM:  ENTRANCE  REQUIREMENTS 


i  '  '1  i 


•■•»•, 


follow  in  junior  and  senior  years  advanced   work  in 
lines  of  their  own  choosing,  being  thrown  largely  on  their 
own  resources,  though  under  the  general  guidance  of 
individual   members  of  the   faculty.     Honors  courses 
are  now  offered  for  the  first  time  in  all  departments. 
Given  time  firmly  to  take  root  and  become  of  the  essence 
of  the  University's  instructional  policy,  this  plan  should 
develop  a  large  number  of  men  doing  honors  work  in 
their  last  two  years  of  college  life.    Under  the  new  plan 
an  honors  candidate  is  not  required  to  take  more  than 
four  courses;  he  follows  in  the  honors  courses  a  body 
of  special  outside  reading;  and  in  most  departments  he 
will  come  up  at  the  end  of  senior  year  for  a  final  com- 
prehensive examination  on  his  two  years'  reading,  which 
will  take  the  place  of  the  regular  senior  examinations. 
Whether  it  will  be  possible  to  raise  the  average  hetero- 
geneous American  undergraduate  body  to  the  condition 
of  general  scholarship  prevalent,  for  example,  at  the 
English  universities  where  a  scholarly  tradition  exists 
and  where  a  majority  of  men  are  candidates  for  honors, 
time  alone  can  tell.     Princeton  believes  that  the  effort 
is  at  least  worth  making,  and  that  the  new  honors  plan, 
if  carried  out  with  courage  and  faith  as  a  direct  corollary 
and  inevitable  sequel  to  the  preceptorial  method  of  in- 
struction, will  in  time  create  some  measure  of  the  under- 
graduate scholarly  tradition  that  American  higher  edu- 
cation has  so  generally  lacked. 

Summing  up  in  conclusion,  it  may  be  said  that  the 
Princeton  plan  of  undergraduate  liberal  studies  pro- 
vides three  main  programmes:  first,  an  all-round  train- 
ing, the  only  historic  course  aiming  at  universality,  and 
leading  to  the  bachelor  of  arts  degree ;  second  and  third, 
two  modern  variants,  one  mainly  humanistic  and  the 
other  mainly  scientific  in  trend,  both  distinctly  liberal  in 


w! 


<'  b 


THE  PRINCETON  IDEA 


331 


character  and  leading  respectively  to  the  bachelor's  de- 
gree in  letters  or  in  science.  It  is  believed  at  Princeton 
that  these  three  programmes  fully  accommodate  the  three 
main  tendencies  of  liberal  education.  But  under  all  three 
lies  one  common  conviction.  They  are  based  on  pre- 
scribed school  and  college  studies  of  central  and  general 
value,  and  so  related  as  to  form  a  basis  on  which  fur- 
ther training  can  be  erected.  This  once  secured,  they 
provide  for  the  student  increa.sing  capacity  to  use  free- 
dom intelligently  by  a  gradual  and  progressive  opening 
of  elective  studies  in  the  lines  not  of  his  chance  prefer- 
ences but  of  his  ascertained  aptitudes. 


11 


f 


\"^.. 


IX 

BUILDINGS  AND  EQUIPMENT 

Growth  of  tlie  C'nmpus.  Early  Buildings.  Campus  in  1794. 
Buildings  of  180.1.  Early  Equipment.  Building  Era  of  18.32. 
Joaoph  Hf-nry's  Plan.  Equipment  After  McCosh.  The  "  Park  " 
Versus  the  "  I'niversity  "  Scheme.  Nassau  Hall.  Dean's  House. 
Libraries.  Laboratories,  Observatories,  and  Museums.  Prospect. 
Art  Museum.  Marquand  Chapel  and  Murray-Lodge.  Athletic 
Equipment.    Infirmary.    The  Dormitories.    The  Graduate  College, 

Prior  to  its  removal  to  Princeton  the  College  owned 
neither  land  nor  buildings  and  scarcely  any  equipment. 
For  the  course  of  lectures  on  natural  philosophy  and 
particularly  on  electricity  which  Mr.   Evans  delivered 
before  the  College  at  Newark  in  the  autumn  of  1751. 
President  Burr  had  to  hire  apparatus.     Soon  after,  he 
secured  subscriptions  to  the  amount  of  two  hundred 
pounds,    Pennsylvania   currency,   for  the   purchase   of 
equipment.     Had  his  acquisitions  been  in  any  way  re- 
markable they  hardly  would  have  escaped  the  keen  eye 
and  ever  ready  notebook  of  the  Reverend  Ezra  Stiles, 
who,  when  in  1754  he  visited  the  College  for  the  first 
time,  saw  nothing  but  the  library  worth  an  entry  in  his 
diary.*    INIr.  Stiles  failed  to  record  the  size  of  the  col- 
lection, but  an  independent  allusion  *  at  this  time  in- 
forms us  that  the  library  contained   "  a  considerable 
number  "  of  books.    The  definite  history  of  the  library 
begins  in   175f,  when  Governor  Belcher  presented  his 
collection. 

The  decision  to  settle  at  Princeton  wrought  a  trans- 

»  Massachusetts  Historical  Society  Proceedings.  March  10,  1892. 
•  Preface  to  the  Independent  Reflector,  N.  Y.,  1754. 

333 


GROWTH  OF  CAMPUS 


333 


formation  in  the  assets  of  tho  CoUogo.  It  immediately 
came  into  possession  of  the  FitzRandolph  gift  of  four 
and  a  half  acres  on  which  to  erect  buildings,  besides 
the  ten  acres  of  cleared  land  ' '  contiguous  to  the  site  of 
the  College,"  and  two  hundred  acres  of  woodland  within 
easy  hauling  distance,  to  guarantee  a  fuel  supply.  The 
woodland  was  eventually  disposed  of  and  for  over  a 
century  the  campus  showed  no  enlargement.  By  1887 
it  had,  however,  grown  to  fifty-five  acres,  which  the 
acquisitions  of  the  next  three  years  increased  to  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  acres,  known  as  the  central 
tract  of  the  campus,  and  contained  roughly  within  the 
rectangle  formed  by  Nassau  Street  on  the  north, 
Washington  Road  on  the  east.  Stony  Brook  on  the  south, 
and  the  railroad  on  the  west.  In  1905  the  University  by 
gift  came  into  possession  of  the  western  tract  of  the 
campus,  known  as  the  Springdale  Farm,  of  two  hundred 
and  twenty-one  acres  and  including  the  land  occupied  by 
the  University  Golf  Links.  In  tho  same  year  the  eastern 
tract  of  the  campus,  consisting  of  some  ninety-three 
acres,  running  from  the  ridge  of  Prospect  Avenue  down 
to  Stony  Brook,  including  Laughlin  Field  and  the  woods 
on  the  lake  shore,  and  known  as  the  Olden  Farm,  was 
also  presented  to  the  University.  In  1912  a  further  gift 
of  ninety-three  acres,  called  the  Hutlcr  tract,  and  ad- 
joining Olden  Farm,  brought  the  present  total  number 
of  acres  in  the  eami-us  up  to  six  hundred  and  thirty- 
two. 

When  the  College  moved  to  Princeton  in  1756  it 
found  in  Nassau  Hall  and  the  president 's  house  its  two 
first  buildings  and  experienced  for  the  first  time  a  visible, 
tangible  existence.  Governor  Belcher's  legacies  were 
»>rougfet  to  Nassau  Hall ;  his  pictures  were  hung  in  the 
prayer-hall  and  his  books  were  shelved  in  an  upper  room 


i  'i 


334 


BUILDINGS  AND  EQUIPMENT 


r^" 


over  the  main  cntrancr  to  llu-  buildiupf,  henceforth  to 
be  known  as  the  library  room.  This  was  the  room  in 
which  were  heUl  the  sessions  of  the  State  legislature  in 
177C,  and  in  1783  tiio  ordinary  scssioas  of  the  Continental 
Congress. 

Tlie  next  building  on  the  campus  was  a  modest  **  en- 
gine house,"  in  all  probability  little  more  than  u  shed 
or  small  barn,  put  up  to  shelter  the  college  fire  engine, 
the  hundred  leather  buckets,  and  the  two  ladders  or- 
dered by  the  uoard  of  trustees  soon  after  the  occupation 
of  Nassau  Hall.  Six  years  later  (17G2)  a  new  kitchen- 
house  was  built  near  the  east  vnd  of  Nassau  Hall.  This 
must  have  been  a  fairly  su'ustantial  building  since  it 
also  contained  quarters  for  the  steward,  and  lasted 
until  the  rearrangement  of  the  campus  in  the  middle 
thirties.  In  176G  a  new  engine  house  with  new  buckets, 
numbered  and  lettered  "  N.  II.."  replaced  the  old  estab- 
lishment. These  constructions,  with  Nassau  Hall,  the 
president's  house,  and  an  additional  shed  in  the  south 
campus,  constituted  the  entire  group  of  college  buildings 
until  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  centurj'. 

The  earli(  ^t  picture  of  the  campus  is  the  engraved 
frontispiece  of  Bla  i  r  's  "  Account, "  of  1764.  The  campus 
was  then  a  bare  unenclosed  lot,  a  footnote  in  the  text  of 
the  "  Account  "  informing  us  that  the  wooden  fence 
shown  in  the  print  was  only  "  the  fancy  of  the  en- 
graver." In  1765  a  number  of  young  buttonwood  trees 
were  planted  in  the  "  college  yard  "* — the  shade  trees 
ordered  by  the  board  of  trustees.  Nine  years  later  these 
trees  were  still  too  small  to  obstruct  the  wide  view  that 
Mr.  John  Adams  enjoyed  when  President  Witherspoon 
escorted  him  up  into  the  balcony  of  Nassau  Hall.     In 

'  The  t^^rm  "  campus  "  was  introduced  during  President  Wither* 
spoon's  administration. 


iH 


miaprw:^sB 


^^^^ 


CAMPUS  IN  1794 


;335 


1770,  by  order  of  tho  board,  the  front  campus  was 
"  handsomely  &  well  "  inclosed  on  the  street  front  by  a 
hriek  wall  and  "  palled  fence  "  on  a  stone  foundation 
which  it  was  declared  by  formal  resolution  "  would  add 
to  the  beauty,  convenience,  &  reputation  of  the  College." 
At  the  same  time,  to  render  the  lower  tier  of  rooms  in 
Nassau  Hall  more  habitable,  the  soil  to  the  depth  of  two 
feet  was  graded  away  from  the  building  to  the  street, 
making  the  present  basement  floor  nearly  on  a  level 
with  the  ground.  No  extended  description  of  the  campus 
in  the  eighteenth  century  is  known  save  the  one  left  by 
Moreau  de  Saint-Mtry  *  after  his  visit  in  1794.  He 
found  the  brick  wall  in  bad  condition,  and  as  he  makes 
no  mention  of  the  paling  fence  the  latter  had  probably 
vanished  in  smoke  during  the  British  occupancy  of 
Nassau  Hall  in  Revolutionary  days.  At  equal  distances 
in  the  wall  were  pilasters,  each  intended  to  support 
a  wooden  urn,  but  several  of  the  urns  were  lying  on  the 
ground.  The  urns  were  painted  gray.  Wooden  steps, 
unguarded  by  balustrades,  led  up  to  the  three  entrances 
into  the  building.  The  two  upper  Hoors  were  given  over 
to  students'  rooms.  On  the  main  or  entrance  floor, 
which  was  some  seven  or  eight  feet  above  the  ground, 
were  the  dining-room,  the  library  containing  two  thou- 
sand volumes,  and  the  Rittenhouse  orrery,  and  the 
prayer-hall  furnished  with  plain  wooden  benches  and 
I'eale's  portrait  of  Washington.  The  recitation  rooms 
were  probably  on  the  basement  floor,  or  what  Moreau 
calls  the  cellar.  His  description  of  the  appearance  of 
the  campus  is  vivid : 

"  It  is  untidy  and  covered  with  the  dung  of  the  cattle 
that  come  there  to  graze.    In  the  center  of  it  is  an  old 
iron  four-pounder,  minus  its  carriage.    This  cannon,  the 
»  "Voyage  aux  Etats-Unis,"  pp.  114-116. 


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336 


BUILDINGS  AND  EQUIPMENT 


bad  condition  of  the  wall,  with  several  of  the  urns  fallen 
on  the  ground,  all  bear  the  mark  of  neglect,  and  you 
reach  the  edifice  sorry  that  the  students  shouli  lave 
such  a  regrettable  example  before  their  eyes.  .  .  .  Be- 
hind the  College  is  a  very  large  yard,  dirty  and  lying 
fallow,  so  that  everything  in  the  place  looks  neglected." 

Under  President  Smith  improvements  began  to  be 
made  and  additional  buildings  were  erected.  In  1799, 
for  the  elder  Professor  ]Maclean,  a  house  was  put  up  in 
the  same  position  relative  to  Nassau  Hall  as  the  presi- 
dent's house,  but  on  the  cast  side  of  the  campus,  be- 
coming known  later  as  the  vice-president's  house.  It 
was  removed  in  1871  when  the  front  campus  was 
enlarged.  In  1803-1804  northeast  of  Nassau  Hall  the 
refectory  was  built,  later  known  as  "  Philosophical 
Hall."  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  campus,  northwest 
of  Nassau  Hall,  was  placed  the  corresponding  library 
building  (now  the  University  Offices)  which  contained 
besides  the  library  the  freshman  and  sophomore  recita- 
tion rooms  and  a  room  for  the  president's  classes.  At 
the  southwest  end  of  Nassau  Hall  a  second  professor's 
house  was  next  built,  matching  in  style  the  Maclean 
house.  The  divinity  students  were  moved  into  "  Divin- 
ity Hall,"  one  of  three  houses  purchased  from  the 
adjoining  property  in  1804  and  situated  east  of  the 
present  south  stack  of  the  University  library.  The  space 
gained  for  dormitory  use  in  Nassau  Hall  by  these  im- 
provements rendered  the  accommodations  there  sufficient 
for  the  next  thirty  years  to  house  all  the  students. 

Turning  to  the  equipment  during  this  period,  we 
find  that  when  Dr.  Witherspoon  arrived  in  1768  it  was 
negligible.  We  have  seen  that  in  the  resolution  of  1769 
empowering  a  committee  to  purchase  up  to  the  amount  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  the  trustees  stated  that 


•. '       V 


EARLY  EQUIPMENT 


337 


the  College  had  for  a  long  time  been  "  destitute  "  of 
apparatus  in  natural  philosophy.  Dr.  Witherspoon 's  was 
the  first  large  purchase,  just  as  the  two  consignments 
of  books  he  brought  over  were  the  first  large  acquisition 
to  the  library  since  the  Belcher  gift.  In  1770  he  pur- 
chased Rittcnhouse 's  orrery  and  for  many  years  this  was 
the  pride  of  the  institution  and  the  one  thing  it  pos- 
sessed that  all  visitors  were  sure  to  notice.  Everything 
except  the  orrery  was  destroyed  by  the  enemy  in  the 
Revolution.  Dr.  Manasseh  Cutler,  in  1787,  remarked 
that  the  library  was  small  and  the  philosophical  appa- 
ratus indifferent,  the  orrery  being  its  sole  noteworthy 
feature.  During  the  summer  of  1795  the  elder  Maclean 
bt'gan  his  connection  with  Princeton  and  that  autumn  the 
first  chemical  laboratory  in  the  College  was  set  up.  The 
three-year  grant  from  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  secured 
in  1796,  was  designated  for  the  repair  of  Nassau  Ilall,  the 
replenishment  of  the  library,  and  the  restoration  of  the 
philosophical  apparatus.  According  to  President  Smith 
the  last  of  these  objects  alone  would  have  consumed  a 
thousand  dollars  more  than  the  total  annual  appropria- 
tion, and  he  wrote  to  all  the  alumni  of  the  College  who 
had  been  graduated  since  he  entered  the  faculty,  in  an 
effort  to  raise  funds,  for  "  if  I  live,"  said  he,  "  I  am 
resolved  if  possible  to  have  in  future  one  of  the  best 
apparatuses  on  the  continent."^ 

In  accordance  with  this  purpose,  the  first  moneys  re- 
ceived from  the  State  were  appropriated  to  equipment 
and  the  sum  of  twelve  hundred  dollars  was  thus  ex- 
pended, only  to  have  the  fire  of  1802  not  only  wipe  out 
the  library  of  three  thousand  volumes,  but  also  injure 
the  new  apparatus.  Throe  years  later  a  substantial, 
and  at  that  time  unique,  addition  to  the  scientific  equip- 
'  Eliza  S.  M.  Quincy,  "  Memoir,"  Boston,  1861,  pp.  67-68. 


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if 


I,  #«■ 


^''^'■1- 


338 


BUILDINGS  AND  EQUIP:MENT 


iiKMit   was   Dr.    Smith's   acquisition  of  the   cabinet   of 
natural  history  which  received  a  special  room  in  the 
refectory  buiklinpr  with  a  taWet  on  the  door  naming  the 
founder,  Mr.  Bondinot.    In  1817  the  course  in  astronomy 
was  aided  by  the  gift  of  a  set  of  astronomical  maps 
drawn  by  Professor  Bode,  of  Berlin;  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  Dr.  Ilosack  made  his  offer  to  arrange  and 
add  to  the  mineralogical  collection  owned  by  the  College. 
A   room   in  the  library  building  was  assigned  to  the 
collection   and   here   John   Torr.y   began  his   work  at 
Princeton.    Insignificant  additions  to  the  library  and  the 
scientific  collection  were  iiiade  from  time  to  time,  such 
as  the  appropriation  in  1818  of  the  sum  of  two  hundred 
dollars  for  mathematical  books,  and  one  hundred  dollars 
for  the  improvement  of  the  chemical  and  philosophical 
apparatus,  and  the  general  result  was  meager  to  an  ex- 
treme.    In  1835-1836  a  new  telescope  was  purchased 
for  four  hundred  and  twenty  dollars  by  the  Alumni 
Association,  soon  to  be  eclipsed  by  a  mannikin  costing 
six  hundred  and  thirty  dollars,  and  used  to  illustrate 
the  anatomical  and  physiological  phases  of  a  course  of 
lectures  on  natural  theology.     The  mannikin  outlived 
most  of  the  men  who  lectured  on  it  and  was  still  doing 
valiant  but  somewhat  weary  service  in  Dr.  McCosh's 
day.     The  description  of  the  apparatus  owned  by  the 
College  as  given  in  the  annual  catalogue  was  reprinted 
verbatim  year  after  year  and  was  practically  confined 
to  the  statement  that  the  institution  possessed  a  well- 
selected  mineralogical  cabinet  founded  by  Hosack  and  a 
museum  of  natural  history  founded  by  Boudinot.    Pro- 
fessor Henry  purchased  several  hundred  dollars'  wor+h 
of  apparatus  in  England  in  1837,  but  the  invoice  he 
filed  with  the  bill  has  not  been  found,  and  the  bill  itself 
was  not  paid  for  several  years,  owing  to  the  straitened 


v,^i 


BUILDING  ERA  OP  1832 


339 


( nnditioa  of  the  treasury.  The  library  vvhicli  in  ITOf) 
numbered  twenty-three  hundred  voluines,  and  at  the 
time  of  its  destruction  in  1802  three  thousand,  had  risen 
from  its  ashes  to  a  total  of  seven  thousand  volumes  in 
1S12,  at  the  end  of  President  Smith's  administration. 
During  the  next  forty  years,  incredible  as  it  may  appear, 
only  two  thousand  volumes  were  added. 

In  the  early  thirties  a  new  building  era  dawned. 
The  catalogue  of  1832-1833  announced  with  some  show 
ot'  pride  that,  in  consequence  of  the  increase  in  student 
numbers  a  new  dormitory  was  being  erected  to  contain 
thirty-two  rooms  each  with  a  bedroom  attached.  This 
was  East  College,  now  removed.  In  1834,  to  provide 
cheaper  board  an  additional  refectory  and  steward's 
house  was  erected  adjacent  to  the  building  of  1803, 
and  the  latter  was  enlarged  so  as  to  furnish  ample 
accommodations  for  the  scientific  departments  of  the 
College.  In  1835-1836  a  duplicate  of  East  College  was 
erected  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  quadrangle  behind 
Nassau  Hall  and  was  called  West  College.  Including 
professors'  houses  there  were  now  nine  buildings  on  the 
campus. 

Up  to  this  time  no  need  had  been  felt  of  a  definite 
scheme  to  be  followed  in  the  development  of  the  campus, 
and  it  was  not  until  1836  when  Joseph  Henry  presented 
a  consistent  plan  for  the  location  of  future  buildings  that 
any  systematic  arrangement  was  adopted.  No  copy  of 
liis  plan  is  on  record,  but  a  lithographed  circular  of 
this  date,  issued  by  the  American  Whig  Society,  solicit- 
ing contributions  for  its  proposed  new  hall,  contains  a 
plan  showing  the  location  of  old  buildings  and  the  pro- 
posed location  of  new  ones.  Professor  Henry  was  one 
of  the  signers  of  the  circular,  and  it  is  most  probable 
that  the  plan  there  shown  was  his.    At  any  rate,  the 


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340 


BUILDINGS  AND  fXjUIPMENT 


hiyiug-out  of  the  quadrangle  bcbiiul  Nassau  Hall  fol- 
lowed this  plan  in  every  rospoet  save  in  the  location  of  a 
chapel  between  the  two  Halls.     The  professor's  house 
southwest  of  Nassau  Hall  was  removed  and  a  new  one 
built  for  Professor  Henry  in  1837.  on  a  line  with  the 
then   library   building.     Subsequently   this   house   was 
taken  down   and   rebuilt  on   the   opposite   side   of  the 
campus,  and  is  now  the  residence  of  the  dean  of  the  col- 
lege.     The   two  societies   erected   halls   modeled   after 
ancient  Greek  temples,  which  were  replaced  in  1890  by 
the  present  marble  structures;  and  the  old  steward's 
house  and  kitchen  of  1704  was  removed.    In  1838-1839 
a  handsome  iron  fence  was  erected  along  the  street  front 
of  the  campus,  and  by  this  time  Dr.  Carnahan  had  re- 
moved the  rows  of  poplars  and  had  set  out  a  number  of 
elms.     The  signs  of  prosperity  are  pointed  out  in  the 
Whig  Hall  circular  already  mentioned.     Extensive  im- 
provements were  going  on  in  grounds  and  buildings,  in 
the  apparatus  of  the  philosophical  and  chemical  depart- 
ments and  in  the  mineralogical  and  geological  collec- 
tions ;  and  there  had  been  formed  a  cabinet  of  drawings, 
casts,  and  models  for  the  illustration  of  classical  litera- 
ture and  the  fine  arts.     In  short,  great  advances  had 
been  made,  so  the  circular  declared,  toward  "  the  fur- 
nishing of  the  Institution  with  all  the  implements  and 
facilities  for  a  liberal  and  extended  course  of  instruc- 
tion."   A  lithographed  frontispiece  to  the  annual  cata- 
logue, drawn  by  R.  S.  Gilbert  of  Philadelphia,  published 
for  the  first  time  in  the  catalogue  of  1839-1840  and 
repeated  for  the  next  fifteen  years,  shows  eleven  build- 
ings including  professors'  houses. 

These  were  the  improvements  to  which  Vice-President 
Dallas  referred  in  his  speech  at  the  centennial  celebra- 
tion in  1847.     He  had  wandered  about  Princeton  the 


!•  > 


HENRY'S  PLAN 


341 


whole  morning  in  pursuit  of  persons  and  objects  tliat 
still  after  forty  years  lived  in  his  memory,  and  had 
found  almost  nothing  familiar.  And  yet  he  felt  a  glow 
of  pleasure  and  of  pride,  he  said,  as  he  noticed  the 
changes.  "  The  advanced  system  of  tuition;  the  length- 
ened catalogue  of  attending  students;  the  co-operating 
chairs  of  theology  and  law;  those  two  classical  struc- 
tures *  consecrated  to  friendship  and  literature,  whose 
white  Ionic  columns  shine  so  beautifully  in  contrast 
with  the  verdure  of  the  campus ;  the  rising  architectural 
neatness  of  the  hall  of  prayer ;  -  those  majestic  and 
umbrageous  trees;  that  iron  railing,  dividing  the  aca- 
demic shade  from  the  busy  thoroughfare ;  the  commodi- 
ous brick  mansion  that  overlooks  the  site  of  the  once 
flower-embosomed  cottage  of  Dr.  Thompson ;  ^  these 
various  other  striking  and  advantageous  changes,  attest- 
ing an  onward  course  of  cultivation  and  character,  I 
contemplate  with  delight." 

In  the  spring  of  1847  the  erection  of  the  proposed 
chapel  was  begun,  not  where  the  Henry  plan  had  re- 
served a  site  between  the  halls,  but  east  of  Nassau  Hall 
on  the  present  site  of  the  north  stack  of  the  University 
library.  The  chapel  cost  six  thousand  five  hundred  dol- 
lars and  was  built  on  a  vaguely  cruciform  plan  which 
stirred  up  bitter  criticism.  It  was  claimed  that  such  a 
plan  was  associated  with  "  popery  and  superstition," 
and  if  the  chapel  were  completed  according  to  this  de- 
sign it  "  would  remain  an  unanswerable  argument 
against  Presbyterian  objection  to  Popish  symbolism  " — 
at  which  sentiment  even  Dr.  Maclean  in  his  "  History  " 

•  The  two  Halls. 

'  The  chapd  which  was  then  beii.g  built. 

•  Professor  of  languages,  1802-08.  He  seems  to  have  lived  in 
tlie  house  southwest  of  Nassau  Hall,  built  in  1803-04.  and  removed 
when  Professor  Henry's  "  brick  mansion  "  wao  erected. 


U    :.. 


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1    ■>!     \' 


I  II * 


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1 

III* 


1  ■  ^f 


342 


BUILDINGS  AND  EQT'IPMENT 


is  compelled  to  scoff.  The  Iniilding  was  cf  local  stono, 
and  contained  three  <,'alleries,  one  at  the  end  of  the  build- 
ing, and  one  in  each  transept,  if  the  term  may  be 
applied  to  what  were  nothing  more  than  entrance  bays. 
After  the  fire  of  1835  the  old  prayer-hall  was  enlarged 
and  converted  into  the  library  with  fireproof  construc- 
tion, and  the  collection  of  portraits  belonging  to  the 
College  was  hung  on  its  walls. 

The  reconstruction  of  Nassau  Hall  after  the  fire,  and 
the  beginning  of  the  Ilalsted  Observatory  were  the  only 
building  operations  carried  on  in  Dr.  Maclean's  adminis- 
tration.  The  next  building  era  came  under  President 
McCosh,  and  his  administration  likewise  laid  the  founda- 
tions of  the  modern  equipment  of  the  University.  Thir- 
teen buildings  were  erected  during  his  presidency,  and  it 
is  difficult  now  to  see  which  might  have  been  omitted. 

The  equipment  when  Dr.  McCosh  came  to  Princeton 
had  made  a  brave  showing  in  the  annual  catalogue ;  but 
he  ruthlessly  cut  the  description  down  from  a  page  of 
fine  print  to  a  single  paragraph,  and  then  omitted  it  alto- 
gether until  he  considered  it  once  more  worthy  of  notice. 
By  1888  the  collections  had  become  valuable,  a  change 
which  dates  from  the  founding  of  the  E.  :M.  Museum  of 
Geology  and  Archeology  in  1874  and  the  receipt  of 
gifts  from  the  Smithsonian  Institution  through  Joseph 
Henry.  The  central  and  eastern  wings  of  Nassau  Hall 
were  now  given  over  to  the  collection  in  geology,  paleon- 
tology, and  archeology.  The  Guyot  collection  of  glacial 
boulders,  a  collection  of  New  Jersey  and  New  York 
typical  rocks  and  fossils,  occupied  a  special  room.  The 
mineralogical  collection  contained  about  twenty-six  hun- 
dred specimens,  while  the  paleontological  collection  filled 
two  halls  and  an  extensive  gallery  and,  omitting  dupli- 
cates, numbered  about  nine  thousand  specimens.    In  the 


Ml 


EQIIIPMP]NT  AFTER  McCOSII 


343 


iirchoolof^U'al  collt'ction  were  sprciniriis  ol'  stoiir,  Iimiizi', 
aud  Hint  irnplojiicnts,  early  Mcxioan  and  I'truvian  pot- 
tery, and  a  number  of  Indian  rt'lics,  besides  the  Sheldon 
Jackson  ethnological  collection  from  Alaska  and  New- 
Mexico.  Connected  with  the  museum  were  lecture  and 
work  rooms.  The  physical  laboratory  in  the  school  of 
science  building  now  possessed  the  instruments  of  pre- 
cision required  for  experimental  courses.  The  chemical 
laboratory  in  the  same  building  was  fully  equipped  but 
overcrowded.  Every  square  foot  of  room  in  the  school  of 
science  building  was  occupied,  a  condition  unrelieved 
until  the  erection  of  the  Seventy-seven  Biological  Labora- 
tory in  1887-1 S88  and  the  Chemical  Laboratory  in  1891. 
During  President  Patton's  administration,  and  espe- 
cially after  the  sesquicentennial  the  campus  not  only 
was  greatly  enlarged,  but  received  more  care  than  ever 
before.  New  buildings  followed  one  another  rapidly, 
and  although  no  systematic  plan  for  the  development  of 
the  campus  was  as  yet  being  followed,  nevertheless  the 
decision  on  the  collegiate  gothic  style  of  architecture 
was  a  long  step  in  the  direction  of  harmonious  improve- 
ment. The  list  of  buildings  belonging  to  this  adminis- 
tration has  been  given  in  an  earlier  chapter  and  need 
not  be  repeated;  but  it  may  be  pointed  out  that  the 
emergence  of  the  modem  style  of  dormitory  architecture, 
and  the  grading  and  planting  of  the  campus  that  accom- 
panied it  were  only  one  of  the  characteristics  of  this 
period  of  con.structivc  activity.  Equipment  for  varied 
higher  work  in  science  grew  fast,  and  special  laboratories, 
such  as  the  Seventy-seven  Biological  Laboratory,  the  mag- 
netic observatory  for  the  school  of  electrical  engineering, 
and  the  Chemical  Laboratory  prepared  the  way  for  the 
greater  laboratories  of  the  present  decade,  the  Palmer 
Physical  Laboratory  and  Guyot  Hall.    It  was  becoming 


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344 


DUILUIXCJS  AND  EQlIl'MKNT 


ovidont,  howcviT,  that  the  time  for  detinite  considera- 
tion of  the  future  devehtpnient  of  the  campus  was  at 
hand. 

We  have  already  seen  that  Professor  Ilenrj'  designed 
the  first  j)hin  looking,'  to  tliis  end.    The  quadrangle  prin- 
ciple tliat  lie  laiil  down  was  not  adhered  to  in  locating 
8ubse(iuent  buildings,  although,  through  the  good  fortune 
which  in  the  main  has  watched  over  the  campus,  only 
two  changes  have  been  forced  upon  the  trustees'  eom- 
inittee  on  grounds  aiul  buildings  since  Dr.  McCosh's  day. 
One  was  the  removal  of  the  outgrown  chapel,  and  the 
other  was  the  taking  down  of  East  College  to  give  way 
to  the  University  lil)rary,  whose  location  was  predeter- 
mined by  that   of  the  Chancellor  Green  Library.     It 
seems  a  pity  that  Dr.  McCosh's  advisers  should  have 
counseled  the  placing  of  the  Chancellor  Green  Library 
where  it  is.     For  not  only  did  this  decision  mar  the 
symmetry  of  the  front  campus,  but  it  necessitated  the 
sacrifice  of  the  historic  old  Philosophical  Hall  so  long 
associated  with  the  work  of  Professor  Henry;  and   it 
compelled,  in  Dr.  Patton's  administration,  the  doom  of 
the  Old  Chapel  and  East  College,  when  the  growth  of 
the  library  demanded  a  new  and  larger  building.    Un- 
controlled as  to  following  set  lines,  the  position  of  build- 
ings was  guided  chieliy  by  the  natural  grades  and  con- 
tours of  the  campus,  resulting  in  what  has  been  called 
the  "  park  scheme  "  of  scattering  units  through  a  park, 
amid  trees  and  shrubbery.    The  erection  of  the  Library, 
Blair,  and  Little  meant  the  abandonment  of  the  "  park 
scheme,"  and  the  appointment  later  of  Mr.  Ralph  Adams 
Cram  as  supervising  architect  for  the  University,  led  to 
the    adoption    of    the    so-called    "university  scheme," 
whereby  buildings  become  part  of  one  great  co-ordinated 
whole,   centering   about  or  depending  on  one   central 


t 


PARK  VS.  UXIVKR.SITY  SCHEME         .'{45 

niotivo.  For  somo  yoars  after  this,  accord iin»Iy.  in  con- 
siKtont  arohitcotural  prowth  Princoton  had  scarcely  a 
rival  among  American  universities. 

The  central  motive  of  the  Princeton  campus  is  patently 
Nassau  Hall  and  the  great  quadrangle  behind  it.  Look- 
ing across  this  fair  space,  the  scene  of  so  much  campus 
daily  life,  past  the  cannon  and  between  the  Halls,  one 
has  an  unbroken  vista  to  the  south  over  rolling  farm 
lands  and  wooded  hollows,  down  toward  the  blue  Nave- 
sink  Hills  and  the  invisible  sea,  thirty  miles  or  more 
away.  At  right  angles  to  this  natural  axis  runs  another, 
starting  at  the  Tiger  Gateway  between  Blair  and  Little, 
passing  behind  the  towering  bulk  of  Witherspoon,  and 
the  gaunt  corner  of  Edwards,  the  classic  marble  of  Clio 
and  Whig,  and  the  attractive  little  cloi.ster-close  of  Mur- 
ray-Dodge to  end  finally  in  McCosh  Walk.  The  older 
portion  of  the  campus  lies  north  of  this  line.  Along 
the  main  axis  and  west  of  it  are  set  all  but  one  of  the 
campus  dormitories,  a  fact  which  explains  why  at  night 
one  side  of  the  campus  shows  bright  with  lights  and 
co.sy  window-scenes,  while  the  other  is  wrapped  in  thick 
darkness,  save  where  some  belated  worker  is  at  his  task 
in  a  seminary-room  or  in  his  laboratory.  For  east  of 
this  main  axis  lie  the  chapel,  the  recitation  halls,  the 
libraries,  museums,  and  laboratories.  Below,  as  the 
ground  falls  away  toward  Lake  Carnegie,  are  the  playing- 
fields,  divided  for  a  few  rods  at  least  by  the  line  of  trees 
still  marking  the  old  stage-coach  road  from  the  Junc- 
tion on  the  railroad  up  the  three  miles  to  College. 

Enough  has  been  indicated  in  previous  chapters  to 
account  for  the  spell  that  Nassau  Hall  casts  about  the 
hearts  of  those  who  own  thoughtful  allegiance  to  Prince- 
ton. To-day  both  the  serious  and  the  lighter  sides  of 
the  University '.s  life  meet  at  this  focal  point,  the  one 


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nriLDlNOS  AND  E(2l'II*MENT 


within  and  \\\v  other  without  its  walls.  Devoted  entirely 
n<  vv  to  iidiiiinistrative  purposes,  save  for  the  suite  of 
rooms  on  the  top  floor  o('eui)ied  hy  the  psyeholot»ieal 
laboratory,  Nassau  Hall  contains  the  ofTicor  of  all  the 
executive,  judicial,  and  le^'islative  officials  of  the  Uni- 
versity, exfept  the  treasurer  and  the  secretary  of  the 
business  administration,  who  are  (juartered  in  the  Uni- 
versity OtTfices.  Ileie  are  the  offices  of  the  president, 
the  secretary  of  the  university,  and  the  registrar,  the 
redoubtable  ^'uardian  of  attendance  and  scholastic 
records;  the  offices  of  the  dean  of  the  college,  and  the 
dean  of  the  graduate  school.  Here  the  most  important 
committees  of  the  faculty  sit,  and  undergraduates  arc 
tried  who  jeopardize  their  academic  lives  by  breach  of 
college  rules  of  discipline  or  scholarship.  The  remodeled 
and  refurnished  prayer-hall  is  now  the  Faculty  Room, 
with  tie'  -s  of  oak  benches  on  each  side,  and  oak- 
paneled  walls  covered  with  the  college  portraits.  This 
is  the  robing-room  for  all  Princeton  academic  proces- 
sions; hence  they  make  their  radiant  departure  and 
hither  their  glad  return. 

Outside  of  Nassau  Hall,  the  front  steps  flanked  by- 
giant  bronze  tigers  are  the  scene  of  senior  singing  on 
spring  evtniings,  the  scene  that  comes  back  first  to  a 
Princetonian's  mind  and  fades  away  last.  From  the 
steps  is  delivered  on  Class  Day  the  Ivy  Oration,  with 
which  each  class  adds  its  gift  to  the  vines  already  cover- 
ing the  old  brown  walls.  Beneath  the  elms  in  front  of 
Nassau  Hall  the  graduates  gather  by  classes  on  Com- 
mencement Day  to  march  to  the  alumni  luncheon  as  mem- 
bers of  the  Alumni  Association  of  Nassau  Hall. 

Up  in  the  cupola,  the  bell  still  clangs  unheeded  in 
the  morning  for  rising,  and  later  brings  men  out  to 
chapel  and  lectures;  and  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening 


«,..tt 


<  1>^.8 


It;  i' 

I. 


DEAN'S  HOUSE 


347 


it  ririRs  for  ourfcw — rrincotoii's  oUli'st  "  old  custnm," 
,1(1(1  !io\v  only  tlu'  Rood-uij^ht  t-cho  ol"  a  loiij,'  discank'd 
law ;  froslimcn  still  stoal  its  flapper,  and  gul  cuuRht  by 
III!-  prt"-tor;  it  sounds  lii^'li  abovt-  the  roar  of  athletic 
iflchratioris;  it  tolls  for  colh','*'  funerals.  On  the  llaR- 
stalV  over  the  entrance  to  Nassau  Ilall  the  national  colors 
lly  on  national  holidays,  at  commencement,  and  on 
Princeton's  two  historic  dates,  October  22  and  Januarj'  3. 

Next  to  Nassau  Hall  in  historic  interest  is  the  former 
residence  of  the  president,  built  simultaneously  with 
Nassau  Hall,  and  now  the  official  residence  of  the  dean 
of  the  faculty.  In  this  simple  home-like  house  have  lived 
all  presidents  of  Princeton  from  Hurr  to  McCosh ;  and 
in  it  Hurr,  Edwards,  and  Davies  ilied.  It  is  the  house 
in  the  engraving  of  tlie  campus  as  it  was  in  1764.  In  its 
(lining  room  in  1774  young  Mr.  John  Adams  on  liis  way 
to  Congress  drank  a  glass  of  wine  with  Dr.  Wither- 
spoon  to  a  toast  whose  sentiment  is  not  recorded  but  is 
easily  guessed;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  Wash- 
ington more  than  once  crossed  its  threshold.  One  of 
its  study  windows  testifies  to  associations  less  august; 
for  it  could  have  been  on  no  very  serious  occasion 
one  day  in  1804  that  two  hearts  pierced  by  an  arrow, 
together  with  the  names  of  three  young  ladies — Dr. 
Witherspoon  's  daughter  Frances  among  them — and  those 
of  a  professor  and  two  undergraduates,  Henry  Kollock 
(1794),  Thomas  J.  Percy  (1806),  and  James  Rush 
(1805),  were  scratched  on  th?  glass  and  dated.  Mr. 
Kollock  was  at  this  time  professor  of  theology. 

West  of  Nassau  Hall  is  the  University  library,  consist- 
ing of  two  buildings,  the  Chancellor  Green  Library  and 
the  Pyne  Library,  connected  by  a  delivery  hall  which 
contains  the  card  catalogue  and  also  forms  tbe  main  en- 
trance.   The  Chancellor  Green  building  is  the  University 


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348 


BUILDINGS  AND    .QUIPMENT 


working  room  for  undereraduates,  and  contains  a  large 
collection  of  reference  books  and  the  standard  and  latest 
works  in  all  departments.  A  memorial  alcove  in  classical 
philology  is  a  tribute  to  Charles  Ewing  Green  of  the 
class  of  1860,  for  many  years  a  trustee,  and  as  adminis- 
trator of  the  John  C.  Green  estate  a  f^cnerous  benefactor 
of  the  University.  The  Trustees  Room  in  the  Chancellor 
Green  Library,  where  the  meetings  of  the  board  are  hold, 
has  recntly  been  remodeled  and  richly  beautified  as  a 
further  memorial  to  this  devoted  alumnus.  The  Pyne 
Library,  the  gift  of  the  late  Mrs.  Percy  Eivington  Pyne, 
has  a  shelving  capacity  of  over  a  million  volumes,  besides 
administration  rooms,  seminaries,  and  an  exhibition  room. 
It  forms  a  hollow  square  of  about  one  hundred  and  sixty 
feet.  The  general  collection  occupying  the  :  nited  build- 
ing consists  at  present  in  round  numbers  of  three  hun- 
dred and  six  thousand  volumes  and  seventy-six  thousand 
unbound  pamphlets.  There  are  some  twenty  different 
special  collections  in  the  library,  such  a.s  the  Morgan 
Virgils;  the  Autffgraph-IManuscript  Collection  relating 
chiefly  to  the  history  of  the  University,  of  which  the 
nucleus  is  the  Pyne-IIcnry  Collection,  formed  by  M.  Tay- 
lor Pyne  and  Bayard  Henry  (1877) ;  the  Pierson  Civil 
"War  Collection  (over  6600  volumes,  2500  pamphlets,  and 
several  thousand  clippings) ;  the  Princeton  University 
Collection  (6000  volumes),  which  includes  the  remark- 
able collection  of  Princetoniana  made  by  Colonel  William 
Libbey  (1877)  ;  the  Garrett  Collection  of  Oriental  Manu- 
scripts; the  class  of  1875  Library  of  English  Poetry 
and  Drama ;  the  cuneiform  documents,  the  Patterson 
Horace  collection,  the  Hutton  collection  of  death  masks, 
and  the  Hutton  Memorial  collection  of  several  hundred 
association  books,  autographed  portraits,  paintings,  etc. 
Ten  seminaries  (philosophy,  economics,  political  science, 


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LIBRARIES 


classics,  English,  Romance  languages,  Germanic  lan- 
.riia<?os.  mathematics,  history.  Semities,  are  maintained 
iu  the  building,  each  with  its  special  working  collection ; 
that  of  the  classical  seminar}-  being  especially  large;  and 
besides  these,  in  the  corresponding  laboratories  and 
Hiuseums  are  working  libraries  in  astronomy,  biology, 
botany,  geology  and  paleontology,  engineering,  and 
l)bysies,  while  in  the  art  museum  is  the  large  Marquand 
Library  on  the  history  of  art. 

Each  of  the  Halls  has  a  library  of  about  six  thousand 
volumes;  each  of  the  upperclass  clubs  has  a  library; 
and  members  of  the  University  have  the  privilege  of 
using  the  library  of  the  Theological  Seminary,  a  collec- 
tion of  about  ninety-five  thousand  volumes,  bringing  the 
total  number  available,  exclusive  of  pamphlets  and  dupli- 
cates, to  a  little  over  four  hundred  and  fourteen  thousand 
volumes.^ 

With  the  exception  of  the  Halsted  Observatory  and 
tlie  Psychological  Laboratory,  all  the  laboratories  and 
museums  are  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  main  campus 
The  Halsted  Observatory  is  appropriated  to  scientific 
work  chiefly  in  astronomical  physics,  and  contains  a 
Clark  equatorial  of  twenty-three  inches  aperture  and 
thirty  feet  focal  length,  and  provided  with  the  usual  ac- 
cessories. The  building  is  in  electric  connection  with  the 
observatory  of  instruction.  The  latter,  on  Prospect  Ave- 
nue, is  devoted  entirely  to  the  use  of  students,  and  is 
equipped  for  work  in  practical  astronomy. 

The  Psychological  Laboratory  is  on  the  top  floor  of 

'  The  growth  of  the  Library  is  shown  in  the  following  table: 

1756..    474-f     1816.,    7,000        1883..   60,000 

1896.  .102„300  (4-2.5,000  unbound) 

1906 .  .  205,600  ( -}-55,000  unbound ) 
1913.  .306,200  (4-76,000  unbound) 


1760. 

.1.300 

18.'?9. 

.  8,000 

1769. 

.1.700+ 

1850. 

.  9,313 

1796. 

.2,300 

1868. 

.  14,000 

1802. 

.3.000 

1873 . 

.25.000 

Mim 


350 


BUILDINGS  AND  EQUIPMENT 


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Nassau  Hall,  and  comprises  a  lecture  room,  a  dark-room, 
several  research  rooms,  the  editorial  offices  of  the  Psycho- 
logical licvicw,  and  a  private  library  of  several  hundred 
volumes  and  periodicals. 

When  the  Chemical  Laboratory  was  completed  in  1891, 
the  entire  department  of  analytical  chemistry  and  miner- 
alogy was  transferred  to  it  from  the  School  of  Science 
building.  The  laboratory  was  planned  after  careful 
study  of  many  of  the  best  laboratories  at  home  and 
abroad.  In  twenty  years,  however,  the  department  has 
outgrown  it.  The  top  floor  is  devot(>d  mainly  to  the 
laboratory  of  inorganic  chemistry  and  quantitative 
analysis.  Lecture  halls  with  preparation  rooms  adjoin- 
ing, private  laboratories,  and  a  laboratory  for  quantita- 
tive analysis  occupy  the  second  floor.  Physical  and 
analytical  chemistry  and  further  private  laboratories 
fill  the  ground  floor.  The  laboratories  in  organic 
chemistry  now  occupy  what  was  the  Seventy-seven  Bio- 
logical Laboratory,  the  biological  departments  having 
been  transferred  to  Guyot  Hall. 

The  erection  of  the  Palmer  Physical  Laboratory  in 
1908  gave  the  departments  of  physics  and  electrical  engi- 
neering a  building  as  perfectly  equipped  as  the  ktest 
developments  in  physical  science  could  demand.  Here 
all  the  university  courses  in  those  subjects  are  con- 
ducted. Besides  lecture  rooms,  smaller  recitation  rooms, 
a  library,  and  a  museum,  it  contains  several  private 
laboratories,  each  fully  equipped,  special  rooms  for  pro- 
fessors, and  for  research  students,  machine  shops,  storage 
battery,  charging  and  switchboard  rooms,  a  chemical 
laboratory  and  Roentgen  ray,  constant  temperature,  bal- 
ance, photographic,  and  photometric  rooms,  four  storage 
batteries  of  sixty  cells  each,  refrigerating,  liquid  air,  and 
hydrogen  plants,  wiring  for  direct  and  alternating  cur- 


f  ''*■''. 


LABORATORIES 


351 


19 


rents,  and  a  vacuum  and  pressure  system  leading  to  all 
parts  of  the  building.  It  may  be  gathered  that  the 
equipment  for  lecture  purposes,  laboratory  work,  and 
private  research  is  extensive.  Altogether  the  three  floors 
of  Palmer  Laboratory  give  an  area  of  about  two  acres 
for  instruction  and  research.  The  building  has  an  en- 
dowment enabling  it  to  purchase  supplies,  construct  new 
apparatus,  and,  in  short,  satisfy  the  general  scientific 
needs  of  the  departments. 

The  School  of  Electrical  Engineering  abandoned  its 
small  building  on  the  completion  of  the  Palmer  Physical 
Laboratory  and  transferred  its  quarters  to  the  latter, 
where  its  members  have  full  use  of  all  the  equipment  the 
laboratory  offers,  besides  a  quantity  of  special  apparatus. 
Rooms  here  are  set  aside  for  precise  electrical  measure- 
ments and  for  electro-chemistry  and  high  temperature 
work.  The  dynamo  building  contains  a  complete  outfit 
of  electrical  machinery,  and  is  given  over  entirely  to  ex- 
perimental work  and  machine  testing.  Arc  and  in- 
candescent lamps  are  so  arranged  that  the  various  sys- 
tems of  distribution  may  be  studied.  Besides  this  special 
equipment  the  University  power  plant,  which  heats  and 
lights  the  University  buildings,  is  available,  with  its 
entire  equipment  of  motors,  generators,  transformers, 
etc.,  for  the  use  of  students  of  the  School  of  Electrical 
Engineering  in  experimental  study  and  commercial  ap- 
plications. 

The  natural  science  departments  of  the  University  arc 
centralized  in  Guyot  Hall.  This  great  building,  named 
after  Professor  Arnold  Guyot,  was  erected  in  1909  on 
the  southerly  slope  of  the  campus  below  the  Palmer 
Laboratory,  and  beyond  it,  fields,  woods,  and  brooks 
extend  down  to  Lake  Carnegie,  affording  excellent  op- 
portunities for  the  biological  gardens  and  vivaria,  which 


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BUILDINGS  AND  EQUIPMENT 


are  to  come.  The  size  of  the  building  may  be  judged 
from  the  fact  that,  like  Palmer  Laboratory,  it  offers  a 
total  serviceable  floor  space  of  about  two  acres.  In 
its  construction  the  approved  features  of  the  most  modern 
laboratories  were  adopted.  The  departments  of  biology, 
and  geology  occupy  nearly  equal  \  )rtions  of  the  build- 
ing with  certain  rooms  in  commor  such  as  the  museum, 
a  public  lecture  hall,  and  a  general  xibrary  and  reading- 
room.  The  museum,  with  a  floor-space  area  of  over  nine- 
teen thousand  square  feet,  occupies  the  entire  first  floor. 
The  library,  with  its  reading-room  and  book  stacks,  con- 
taining the  working  libraries  of  the  biological  and  geologi- 
cal sciences,  has  a  capacity  at  present  of  ten  thousand 
volumes. 

In  the  natural  science  portion  of  the  museum  on 
the  main  floor  are  the  collections  of  the  old  E.  M. 
Museum  of  geology  and  archeology,  the  museum  of 
biology,  the  morphological  museum,  and  the  mineralogi- 
cal  museum  from  the  school  of  science.  The  zoological 
collection  is  especially  rich  in  osteologieal  and  ornitho- 
logical material,  the  latter  for  example  including  some 
sixteen  thousand  individual  bird-skins  mounted  and  un- 
mounted, and  about  four  thousand  sets  of  eggs,  mostly 
in  nests.  In  the  morphological  collection  are  about  two 
thousand  six  hundred  preparations,  which  number  is 
being  added  to  at  the  rate  of  some  three  hundred  a  year. 
The  histological  collection  consists  of  thirty  thousand 
mounted  microscopical  specimens,  five  thousand  of 
which  are  in  paraffin  blocks.  The  botanical  collection 
includes  a  local  collection  representing  Now  Jersey  on 
four  thousand  sheets,  forty  thousand  sheets  of  plants 
from  different  parts  of  the  United  States,  South  America, 
Europe,  and  Asia,  and  some  ten  thousand  sheets  of 
mosses. 


MUSEUMS  AND  RESEARCH  ROOMS   353 

The  geological  portion  of  the  museum  is  arranged  to 
sliow  the  structure  of  tin;  earth,  the  history  of  the  earth, 
•dud  the  ancient  life  of  the  earth.  The  eases  around  the 
main  halls  form  a  series  of  small  rooms,  each  of  which 
is  devoted  to  a  period  of  geological  time,  and  the  enclosed 
exliibit  consists  of  rocks,  fossils,  maps,  and  labels  illus- 
trating or  descriptive  of  the  period.  In  another  part 
of  the  hall  are  the  exliibits  of  the  ancient  life  of  the 
earth,  including  several  fossil  skeletons  of  tertiary  mam- 
mals mounted  in  lifelike  positions.  The  gallery  contains 
the  archeological  and  ethnological  exhibits.  Teaching 
cuUeetions  are  kept  in  the  various  laboratories,  and  in 
addition  there  are  reserve  collections  for  advanced  study 
and  research,  and  collectiors  accumulated  during  in- 
vestigations prosecuted  by  members  of  the  department. 

The  museum  is  as  far  as  the  average  visitor  gets  into 
the  building;  but  to  the  student  of  science  the  special 
feature  of  Guyot  Hall,  as  of  the  Palmer  Laboratory,  is 
the  arrangement  of  its  suites  of  laboratories,  and  the 
equipment  it  offers  for  advanced  scientific  work.  The 
suites  are  ten  in  number,  each  assigned  to  a  distinct  sub- 
ject. Besides  these  major  laboratories  there  are  rooms 
lor  graduate  students  and  independent  investigators, 
conference  rooms,  a  club-room,  machine  shops,  curatorial 
and  preparation  rooms,  and  finely  equipped  photographic 
(luarters.  Special  rooms  have  been  designed  for  seisrao- 
^'raphic  and  meteorological  stations.  In  all,  one  hundred 
and  three  rooms  are  devoted  to  the  work  of  the  depart- 
ments of  science. 

The  geological  laboratories  occupy  half  the  building, 
and  are  divided  into  various  suites  assigned  to  structural 
1,'cology,  petrology  and  economic  geology,  mineralogy, 
physical  geography,  stratigraphy,  and  invertebrate 
paleontology,  and  vertebrate  paleontology.    In  addition 


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354 


BUILDINGS  AND  EQUIPMENT 


there  are  several  rooms  for  special  investigators,  and  a 
large  graduate  laboratory.  The  illustrative  work  of  the 
department  has  a  series  of  rooms  designed  for  it,  such 
as  an  artist's  studio,  photographic  studio,  dark  rooms, 
etc. 

The  biological  laboratories  in  the  other  half  of  Guyot 
Ilali  comprise  the  library,  laboratories,  research  rooms 
and  conference  rooms  of  the  departments  of  zoology, 
physiology,  and  botany.  The  zoological,  anatomical,  and 
histological  laboratories  include  several  classrooms 
equipped  as  lecture  laboratories,  a  number  of  private 
research  rooms,  preparation,  photographic  and  store 
rooms,  besides  a  chemical  laboratory  and  an  artist's 
studio.  Similarly  the  physiological  laboratory  contains 
lecture  laboratories,  research  rooms,  photographic  rooms, 
etc.,  and  is  located  close  to  the  animal  rooms  and  vivaria. 
The  botanical  laboratory  is  equipped  in  like  fashion,  and 
controls  a  greenhouse  and  vivarium  affording  at  all 
seasons  a  considerable  variety  of  land,  fresh  water,  and 
marine  plants  for  study.  It  is  hoped  that  in  the  near 
future  the  extensive  grounds  south  of  Guyot  Hall  may 
be  laid  out  in  botanical  gardens,  and  an  arboretum.  The 
vivarium  enables  a  number  of  plants  and  animals  to 
be  kept  under  observation ;  concrete  aquaria  are  devoted 
half  to  sea  water  and  half  to  fresh  water ;  several  rooms 
contain  cages  for  insects,  reptiles,  birds,  and  mammals, 
and  there  are  the  necessary  research  rooms,  photographic 
and  other  conveniences.  A  biological  pond  has  been 
lormed  by  damming  up  a  brook,  and,  as  they  are  needed, 
various  cages  and  retreats  are  being  established  along 
the  brook  and  in  the  woods,  where  animals  may  be  kept 
and  studied  under  natural  conditions. 

Northwest  of  the  Palmer  and  Guyot  Halls  lie  the 
gardens  of  "  Prospect,"  the  omcial  residence  of  the  presi- 


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^^^pggyr^; 


ART  MUSEUM 


355 


dent  of  the  University  since  1878.  The  mansion  dates 
only  from  1849,  but  it  replaced  the  old  stone  farm-house 
of  Colonel  George  IMorgan,  Indian  agent  in  Revolu- 
tionary times,  and  an  early  Western  explorer.  When 
Colonel  Morgan  was  at  home  he  was  a  gentleman  farmer, 
and  to  his  estate  he  gave  its  name — one  which  the  view 
from  the  upper  terraces  of  the  old  garden  fully  justifies. 
The  place  has  shared  in  much  of  the  picturesque  side 
of  Princeton's  history.  Here  the  Delaware  chieftains 
pitched  their  tents  when  they  came  to  visit  their  friend 
Colonel  Morgan,  a  second  Taimenend  or  Tammany,  as 
they  called  him,  and  here  in  his  household  they  left  the 
three  boys  mentioned  elsewhere  in  these  pages.  Here 
the  mutineers  of  the  Pennsylvania  line  encamped  in 
1781,  and  held  their  parley  with  the  congressional  en- 
voys. Here  in  1783  Congress  itself  sat  for  a  day  or  two 
before  moving  into  Nassau  Hall.  And  here  in  later  times 
presidents  of  the  United  States  have  been  entertained, 
and  one  has  lived.  There  is  naturally  a  constant  stream 
of  distinguished  visitors,  and  guests  of  the  University 
passing  through  its  doors.  A  guest  book  of  ' '  Prospect  ' ' 
from  the  beginning  of  its  history  would  read  like  the 
catalogue  of  a  hall  of  fame. 

Just  outside  the  western  borders  of  the  gardens  of 
' '  Prospect  ' '  is  the  Museum  of  Historic  Art.  This  build- 
ing, which  still  lacks  the  wings  that  are  to  complete  it, 
contains  on  the  upper  floor  the  Marquand  library  of  some 
six  thousand  volumes  on  the  history  of  art,  a  collection 
of  about  forty-five  thousand  photographs,  and  some  five 
thousand  lantern  slides  illustrating  classical  and  medieval 
archeology,  and  continually  being  added  to.  This  floor 
also  contains  reproductions  of  Greek  and  Roman  coins, 
a  collection  of  bronze  medals  and  casts  of  ivories  from 
the  Roman  to  the  Gothic  period,  a  series  of  easts  from 


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BUILDINGS  AXU  EQUIPMENT 


the  Arch  of  Trajan  at  BoncvcntTim.  and  a  small  collec- 
tion of  paintings.  One  room  is  devoted  to  the  exhibitions 
of  the  Princeton  expeditions  to  Syria.  The  main  floor 
is  occupied  principally  by  the  Trumbull  Prime  collection 
of  ceramics,  and  the  Livingston  collection  of  pottery, 
which  is  especially  rich  in  material  illustrating  the  early 
history  of  the  country.  A  selected  collection  of  casts  of 
ancient  and  medieval  sculpture  is  displayed  on  the  walls 
of  the  staircase  and  in  the  basement.  The  entire  work 
of  the  department  of  art  and  archeology  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  lectures— the  missing  wings  of  the  building 
are  to  contain  the  lecture  rooms— is  carried  on  in  the 
Museum. 

Coming  out  of  the  entrance-gate  to  "  Prospect  "  one 
finds  on  the  left  hand  the  little  group  of  buildings  known 
as  Murray-Dodge,  and  on  the  right  :\Iarquand  Chapel. 
About  these  structures  centers  the  religious  life  of  the 
University.  JMarfpiand  Chapel  was  the  gift  of  the  late 
Henry  G.  Marquand,  Esq.  Its  cornerstone  was  laid  in 
1881.  The  mural  and  window  decorations  are  notable, 
the  reliefs  of  President  ilcCosh.  Joseph  Henry,  Arnold 
Guyot,  and  James  0.  [Murray,  first  d^'an  of  the  College, 
being  especially  striking.  The  Guyot  tablet  is  set  in  a 
fragment  of  a  Swiss  glacial  boulder  presented  by  his 
native  city,  Neuehatel.  Other  tablets  are  to  the  faculty 
of  the  early  sixties,  and  to  Princeton  foreign  missionaries 
killed  in  China  in  1900,  and  in  Turkey  in  1909.  The 
north,  south,  and  west  windows  are  memorial  windows 
to  deceased  alumni. 

Prayers  are  said  in  Marquand  Chapel  every  weekday 
morning  and  each  undergraduate  must  be  present  at 
least  twice  a  week.  On  Sundays  services  are  conducted 
by  prominent  clergymen,  and  every  undergraduate  must 
be  present  at  least  half  of  the  Sundays  in  each  quarter 


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MURRxVY-DODGh 


357 


Failure  to  comply  with  tlicse  requirements  renders  him 
liable  to  suspension.  The  rule  of  compulsory  chapel  at- 
tendance is  thus  still  enforced,  though  shorn  of  half  of 
its  rigor.  On  Sunday  afternoons  an  optional  vesper 
service  is  held.  The  active  religious  and  .social  work  of 
the  University  finds  its  organization  in  the  Philadcl- 
phian  Society,  with  headquarters  in  Murray-Dodge  Hall, 
and  in  the  St.  Paul's  Society,  with  headquarters  in  the 
Potter  Memorial  House  of  Trinity  Parish.  In  iNIurray- 
Dodge  are  rooms  for  the  religious  meetings  of  the  four 
college  classes,  a  reading-room,  an  auditorium  by  no 
means  confined  to  religious  exercises,  a  reception  hall, 
and  apartments  for  the  resident  secretary.  The  priv- 
ileges of  the  building  are  extended  to  all  members  of  the 
Pniversity.  and  no  denominational  lines  are  drawn. 
Every  Thursday  special  addresses  arc  delivered  by 
prominent  and  inspiring  speakers,  usually  men  who  are 
engaged  in  active  life  of  one  sort  or  another,  men  who 
arc  "  doing  things."  Besides  the  Sunday  evening  class 
meetings  there  are  several  Bible  study  groups  and  mis- 
sion study  classes.  The  Philadelphian  Society  manages 
the  Princeton  Town  Club  for  men  and  boys  of  the  town 
of  Princeton,  owns  a\a\  conducts  a  summer  camp  for 
city  boys,  and  mans  and  in  part  finances  the  "  Prince- 
ton Work  in  Peking,"  established  in  1906  as  the  Peking 
Y.M.C.A.,  five  Prineei-on  graduates  conducting  work 
for  young  men  of  the  city,  the  Chinese  students,  and 
the  foreign  legation  guards.  While  co-operative  in  every 
way  with  the  general  work  of  ^lurray-Dodge,  the  St. 
Paul's  Society  has  as  its  particular  charge  a  number  of 
mission  chapels  in  the  vicinity  of  Princeton,  where 
lay  readers  from  the  society  conduct  services  every 
Sunday. 
Turning  attention  from  the  religious  activities  of  the 


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358 


BUILDINGS  AND  E(irii»MENT 


UniviTsity  to  the  iMulily  wcU'iirc  of  the  stiulfnts,  it  will 
be  found  thiit  lU'wr  li.ivc  the  hcaitli  and  ^,'Lncral  physical 
condition  of  the  I'rinccton  undiT^'fuduatc  been  so  care- 
fully watclied  over  as  now.  Each  freshman  on  (Miterinj? 
in  the  autumn  undei-fjoes  a  physical  examination,  and  is 
reriuired  to  take  re^'ular  work  in  the  t^ymnasium  or  out- 
doors under  the  supervision  of  the  deiiartment  of  hygiene 
and  physi<'al  education.  Eaeli  freshman,  moreover,  must 
pass  a  test  in  swimming,  and  if  he  fails  must  join  the 
swimming  classes,  where  he  is  also  instructed  in  the  ele- 
mentary methods  of  life-saving,  etc.  The  outdoor  work 
consists  of  games,  and  a  variety  of  exercises.  Athletics 
thus  form  a  part  of  the  curriculum.  The  aim  of  the 
work  is  to  promote  tlie  general  physical  etHciency  of  the 
undergraduate.  On  the  theoretical  side,  attendance  on 
a  course  of  lectures  on  personal  hygi'iie  is  also  rcipiired 
of  freshmen.  The  most  interesting  phase  of  this  official 
interest  in  properly  regulated  athletics  is  being  shown 
in  the  intra-raural  games  and  competition  developed  by 
the  student  committee  in  co-operation  with  the  depart- 
ment of  hygiene.  The  report  of  this  department  show? 
that  during  the  year  ending  December  31,  1913,  there 
were  more  than  thirteen  hundred  men.  counting  duplica- 
tions, taking  part  in  these  teams,  crews,  etc.  This  does 
not  include  contestants  in  individual  championships,  nor 
members  of  varsity  squads. 

Brokaw  Field  was  provided  by  alumni  subscription 
several  years  ago  for  the  ])enefit  of  undergraduates  not  on 
University  teams.  It  contains  three  baseball  diamonds 
and  a  running  track.  Adjoining  is  Goldie  Field,  large 
enough  for  another  baseball  diamond,  and  two  soccer 
fields.  Close  by  are  twenty-two  tennis  courts,  and  above 
them  is  the  Brokaw  Building  erected  in  memory  of  Fred- 
erick Brokaw  of  the  eluhs  of  181)2,  who  lust  his  life  at 


ATHLETICS 


359 


Klhoron,  New  Jcrsoy,  in  1H!)1,  while  ntti-niptinK  to  save 
I.  .Irovvniii},'  rjirl.  In  this  hiiil(1in«  is  tlie  switmniuf,'  pool 
ciir  hunilred  foot  by  twvnty-fivo.  Connrctdl  anhitce- 
tiirally  with  the  lirokaw  HuihlinB  is  the  Gymnasiuin,  into 
wl'ieh  one  enters  through  a  large  trophy' hall  deeoratt'd 
uith  athletic  trophies  of  one  kind  or  another.  This  hall 
also  affords  pffiees  for  the  nionihers  of  the  department 
of  hygiene  and  physical  education,  physical  examina- 
tion rooms,  fencing,  boxing,  and  wrestling  rooms.  The 
^'ymnasium  proper  is  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  feet  long 
I-y  one  hundred  and  one  feet  wide.  About  its  walls  is  an 
el.'vated  running  track,  twelve  laps  to  the  mile.  Under 
the  main  floor  are  locker  and  dressing  rooms,  laboratories, 
showers,  handball  courts,  etc. 

The  class  of  1887  boathouse  has  just  been  comi)leted 
'in  the  shore  of  Lako  Carnegie.  It  Has  accommodations 
lor  thirty-two  shells,  a  workshop,  locker  rooms,  club 
room,  and  an  ofiice  for  the  rowing  coach. 

University  Field,  commonly  known  as  the  arsity 
Grounds,"  lies  on  Prospect  Avenue,  and  is  the  one  of 
ill!  University  football,  baseball,  and  track  contests  held 
in  Princeton.  Beside  the  baseball  diamond  and  football 
fields,  of  which  there  are  two,  there  are  also  a  220-yard 
straightaway,  and  a  quarter-mile  cinder  track,  and  four 
iMiildings  on  the  grounds,  the  cage  for  indoor  winter 
baseball  practice,  the  field  house  containing  dressing 
rooms,  lockers,  and  baths  for  the  University  and  visiting 
teams,  the  grandstand,  and  the  University  Athletic  Club 
house  presented  by  Henry  Fairfield  Osborn  of  the  class 
of  1877,  containing  training  quarters,  dining-rooms,  bed- 
rooms, baths,  lounging  rooms,  etc.,  and  a  trophy  room. 
The  open  stands  were  built  by  alumni  subscription.  The 
Ferris  Thompson  (1888)  wall  and  gateway  border  Uni- 
^  ersity  Field  on  Prospect  Avenue,  and  another  gate  and 


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BUILDINGS  AND  Et^lJlPMENT 


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entrance  arc  the  gift  of  Mr.  Cyrus  Hall  McCormicU  of 
the  class  of  1H70. 

For  t?olf.Ts.  the  Class  of  IHHC.  Moinorial  nuililing  on 
the  Golf  Links  is  a  clubhouse  with  showers,  locker  rooms, 
rcet'{)ti'jn  hall,  and  quarters  for  the  use  of  members  of 
the  <!lass  when  returning  to  I'rincoton  for  reunions. 

Physical  education,  nnd  supervised  athletics,  however, 
eannoi  prevent  all  sickness,  and,  hcaltliful  though  the 
town  of   Princeton   is.  there   is  unavoidably  a  certain 
amount  of  illness  incident  to  the  University  eonmiunity. 
For  the  cure  of  such  cases  and  the  treatment  of  minor 
dispensary   cases   the   Isabella    I^IcCosh    Infirmary   was 
erected   in  1892  as  the  University  hospital.     A  small 
annual  fee  is  charged  to  en^h  student,  in  return  for 
which  in  all  eases  of  ordinary  illness  he  is  provided, 
free  of  further  cost,  with  the  necessary  care,  including 
board,  nursing,  laundry,  and  physician's  fees.     If  an 
iUness  extends  beyond  a  week  board  is  charged  at  the 
rate    the    patient    pays    at    his    usual    boarding-place. 
Ordinary  consultation  and  treatment  are  given  daily  at 
the    Infirmary    by    the    University    physician    without 
charge.    During  the  year  1912-1913,  four  hundred  and 
thirty-nine  patients  were  admitted  to  the  Infirmary,  of 
whom  fifty-three  were  students  in  the  Seminary,  grad- 
uate students  of  the  University,  and  members  of  the 
faculty.     In  the  same  year  the  number  of  dispensary 
patients,  treated  for  all  sorts  of  minor  ailments,  was  four 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty-five. 

The  daily  undergraduate  lectures  and  recitations  take 
place  in  the  laboratories— Palmer.  Guyot,  Chemical,  and 
Seventy-seven,  in  the  Observatorj-  of  Instruction,  anc 
in  Dickinson  and  McCosh  Halls.  McCosh  Hall,  witl 
its  numerous  lecture  and  preceptorial  conference  rooms 
is  over  four  hundred  feet  long,  and  occupies  at  presca' 


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McCOSH  IIVLL 


361 


otir  side  of  tho  sciunro  behind  th  •  Chapel,  but  ovontunlly 
will  extend  arounci  it.  In  the  eourt  of  MeCosh  Ilali  is 
a  replica  of  the  TurnbuU  Sun  Mai  of  Corpus  Christi 
College,  Oxford,  presented  in  1907  by  Sir  William 
Mather.  There  are  in  all  nineteen  dials  on  this  remark- 
iihle  monument,  eighteen  of  wl.ich  may  be  read  all  the 
year  round — and  even  on  cloudy  days,  if  judicious  use 
be  made  of  the  clock  on  the  School  of  Science  tower  dose 

by. 

Before  the  erection  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
soon  after  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  ...ntury,  com- 
mencement exercises  were  held  in  the  college  prayer- 
hall.  After  that  until  1893,  the  exercises  took  place  in 
the  church.  In  this  year  Alexander  Hull  was  presented 
to  the  University  as  an  auditorium  for  commencement 
exercises,  public  lectures,  concerts,  and  other  University 
gatherings  c'  •■•eneral  sort.  The  rostnim,  and  balda- 
ehino  are  fini:  ed  in  colored  marbles,  and  behind  the 
rostrum  is  a  row  of  nios::ic  wall  pictures  depicting  scenes 
from  Homeric  story.  Sculptures  by  J.  Massy  Rhind 
decorate  the  outside  south  wall  beneath  the  large  rose 
window. 

The  dormitorj'  life  .so  characteristic  of  Princeton,  and 
formerly  contained  within  Nassau  Hall  alone,  is  now 
scattered  among  seventeen  university  buildings  and  one 
private  dormitory.  Of  the  university  dormitories  all 
but  two,  Upper  and  Lower  Pyne,  are  on  the  campus. 
These  two  are  on  Nassau  Street.  Hill  Dormitory,  the 
private  building,  is  on  University  Place.  All  of  the 
dormitories  are  heated  by  steam  and  lighted  by  elec- 
tricity, and  in  addition  almost  all  the  studies,  with  the 
exception  of  those  in  Reunion,  have  fireplaces.  Every 
entry  in  the  dormitories  has  shower  bath  and  other  toilet 
facilities.     The  rooms  are  classified  by  annual  rentals, 


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BUILDINGS  AND  EQUIPMENT 


without  heat  and  light,  into  eight  groups,  ranging  from 
eighteen  dollars  for  a  singh;  room  to  a  few  double  rooms 
at  three  hundred  dollars  or  over.  Single  rooms  consist 
ordinarily  of  a  bedroom  and  study,  and  double  rooms 
of  two  bedrooms  and  a  common  study. 

Now  that  Nassau  Hall  is  no  longer  used  for  dormitory 
?)urposes,  the  oldest  dormitory  is  West  College,  dating 
from  1830.  It  forms  one  side  of  the  main  quadrangle 
behind  Nassaii  Hall,  and  has  no  architectural  distinc- 
tion. Wintlow^  boxes  ailded  in  recent  years  give  to  its 
severe  lines  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  a  brightening 
touch  of  color.  The  University  store,  a  co-operative  as- 
sociation, has  a  large  and  busy  home  on  the  ground 
Hoor.  Membership  in  the  store  is  open  to  all  on  pay- 
ment of  a  small  fee.  The  store  deals  in  text-books, 
stationery,  athletic  goods,  toilet  articles,  Princeton 
souvenirs,  confectionery,  etc.  A  regular  discount  is  given 
to  members,  and  an  annual  dividend  is  paid,  based  on 
the  total  amount  of  a  member's  purchases. 

Reunion  Ilall  was  erected  in  1870,  and  received  its 
name  in  commemoration  of  the  reunion  of  the  Old  and 
New  Schools  of  the  Presbyttrian  Church.  The  fund  for 
its  erection  was  subscribed  by  members  of  both  parties, 
and  the  cornerstone  was  laid  by  the  officers  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly.  It  occupies  approximately  the  former 
site  of  Professor  Henry's  residence,  and  was  the  first 
of  Dr.  McCosh's  dormitories. 

Withcrspoon  Hall,  named  after  the  president,  follows 
Reunion  in  point  of  afro,  being  built  in  1877.  It  was 
considered  an  extraordinarily  handsome  and  well  ap- 
pointed building  in  its  day,  and  is  still  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  edifices  on  the  campus,  being  aided  rather 
than  injured  by  the  proximity  of  Blair  and  Little.  The 
contrast,  however,  between  it  and  Reu".ion,  which  pre- 


DORMITORIES 


3G3 


ceded  it,  or  Edwards  which  followed  it,  illustrates  per- 
li'ctly  the  lack  of  systematic  planning  in  architectural 
development  of  the  campus  that  characterized  the  build- 
ings of  forty  years  ago. 

Edwards  Hall,  also  named  after  a  president,  was 
erected  in  1880  to  aii'ord  a  number  of  plainer  rooms  than 
Witherspoon  could  supply,  and  because  it  was  for  a 
time  alleged  to  be  occupied  largely  by  men  of  simpler 
living  and  higher  thinking  than  others,  it  enjoyed  for 
many  years  the  self-explanatory  and  distinctive  title  of 
"  Polers'  Paradise."  In  these  more  enlightened  days, 
when  to  be  a  hard  student  is  not  to  be  extraordinarily 
exceptional,  not  all  the  residents  of  Edwards  arc 
"  polers  "  nor  do  all  "  polers  "  find  their  paradise  there. 

Dod  and  Brown  Halls  were  further  experiments  in 
college  architecture,  showing  Italian  influences,  Brown 
especially  bearing  a  faint  resemblance  to  a  wel.-Known 
Florentine  palace.  Brown  Hall  is  situated  on  the  edge 
of  Prospect  gardens,  which  thus  seem  to  be  its  own,  and 
from  its  upper  southern  windows  one  gets  charming 
views  toward  Lake  Cai-negie  and  beyond,  over  a  country- 
side that  contains  many  a  suggestion  of  English  land- 
scape. 

With  Brown  Hall  experimentation  ceased,  and  the 
builders  of  modern  Princeton  found  themselves  when 
Blair  Hall,  the  .sesquicentcnnial  gift  of  the  late  John  I. 
Blair,  was  designed,  settling  once  for  all  the  general  style 
of  future  Princeton  buildings.  The  same  architects, 
Messrs.  Cope  and  Stewardson,  designed  Little  Hall. 
Here  the  irregular  contour  of  the  old  playing-field  which 
it  encloses  enabled  the  architects  to  use  to  even  better 
advantage  the  low  lines  of  the  English  collegiate  Gothic, 
broken  by  towers,  oriels,  and  recesses,  and  little  courts, 
so  that  from  the  massive  Gymnasium  up  to  the  noble 


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BUILDINGS  AND  EQUIPMENT 


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Blair  Tower  there  is  a  succession  of  interesting,  and  to 
the   artist   instructive,   bits   of   architecture.     In    fact, 
through  the  Blair  extension  this  succession  follows  the 
irregular  confines  of  the  campus  to  the  Ilalstcd  Ob- 
servatory, where  it  comes  to  an  abrupt  stop,  as  if  im- 
patient for  the  day  to  dawn  when  the  erection  of  a  more 
modern  observatory  elsewhere  will  permit  the  removal 
of  the  structure  of  1868,  and  the  completion  of  the  group 
of  homogeneous  buildings  designed  to  supplant  the  Ob- 
servatory and  l^niversity  Hall.     Forming  a  court  with 
Blair  is  Campbell  Hall,  the  gift  of  the  class  of  1877,  and 
on  the  other  side  of  Campbell  is  Hamilton  Hall  named 
after  the  acting  governor  of  1746.    This  is  part  of  the 
group   pla^^ed   for  the   corner  of  Nassau  Street  and 
University  Place.    Through  the  generosity  of  Mrs.  Rus- 
sell Sage,  the  larger  of  the  two  courts  which  will  eventu- 
ally complete  this  group  is  already  built.    The  old  trees 
inclosed  in  this  court  hint  at  an  earlier  life,  and  it  v;as 
indeed  near  this  spot  that  formerly  stood  the  home  of 
Nathaniel  FitzRandolph.    In  the  wall  of  the  eastern  en- 
trance-arch his  memorial  tablet  is  placed.    Rising  high 
above  the  whole  group  is  the  great  Holder  Tower  giving 
its  name  to  the  dormitory,  a  memorial  to  Christopher 
Holder,  a  Quaker  ancestor  of  the  donor.     Facing  the 
court,  with  its  broad  paved  walks,  its  turf  and  clumps 
of  shrubbery,  is  the  cloister  which  will  veil  the  wall  of 
the  dining-hall.  and  the  common  room  that  are  to  lie  be- 
tween the  two  courts.    The  sober  dignity  of  the  cloister, 
tie  shadowy  vaulted  passages  that  lead  to  Hamilton  and 
Campbell,  and  the  street,  the  leaded  casement  windows, 
the  heavy  slated  roofs,  the  old  trees,  and  the  slender 
tower  tl-nisting  skyward  its  tiger-rampant  pinnacles,  all 
combine  to  make  this  one  of  the  most  attractive  of  the 
many  interesting  portions  of  the  campus. 


CARVINGS 


365 


Below  Brown,  and  overlooking  the  new  tennis  courts 
and  Goldie  Field,  is  to  be  another  group  of  similar  dormi- 
tories, two  of  which — Patton  and  Cuyler — arc  already 
croeted.  These  were  built  principally  by  decennial  gifts 
<if  alumni  classes,  ten  classes  each  giving  an  entry  in 
Patton,  and  three  classes  and  individual  alumni  giving 
tlie  six  entries  in  Cuyler. 

A  different  treatment  of  the  same  style  is  found  in 
Seventy-nine  Hall,  erected  by  the  class  of  1879,  and  the 
only  dormitory  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  campus.  It 
is  built  of  brick  with  trimmings  of  Indiana  limestone, 
and  has  already  acquired  a  rose-colored  tone,  which  vines 
and  shrubbery  have  helped  to  mellow  and  enhance.  Its 
principal  feature  is  the  entrance  arch  and  tower  in  the 
center  of  the  building,  facing  directly  down  Prospect 
Avenue. 

Many  of  the  buildings  just  described  are  ornamented 
unobtrusively  with  grotesques  which  are  worth  a  passing 
word.  As  one  might  expect  the  tiger  motive  is  pre- 
dominant, and  in  Seventy-nine  is  cleverly  used  with  con- 
torted monkeys  modeled  by  Borglum  in  wonderful 
caricatures  of  life.  McCosh  Hall  has  a  dozen  grotesques 
more  or  less  ironicallj^  associated  with  the  scholastic  pur- 
poses of  the  building.  Here  a  half-back  vainly  endeavors 
to  break  away  from  the  western  wall ;  a  dragon  with  a 
monk  in  his  claws  thrusts  out  a  scaly  neck  at  the  Chapel; 
studious  monks  in  cowl  and  gown  pore  over  books  whose 
pages  they  never  turn ;  while  other  and  more  sportive 
friars  in  postures  far  from  bookish  follow  other  pastimes. 
Here  an  astronomer  ceaselessly  watches  the  north  star 
through  his  telescope;  clsewher'^  a  chauffeur  drives  a 
motionless  automobile,  and  a  camera-fiend  points  his 
lens ;  brownie  policemen  and  stony-hearted  proctors 
wrestle   with   fractious   collegians;   and   solemn-looking 


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BUILDINGS  AND  EQUIPMENT 


owls  in  cai)  and  gown  make  show  of  wisdom.  The  lihrary, 
most  of  tlic  dormitorios,  and  even  so  unroinantic  an 
edifice  as  the  Palmer  Physical  Laboratory,  all  bear 
whimsical  carvings  to  reward  the  observer  who  is  not 
blind  to  the  li^'htcr  side  of  life. 

The  latest  buildin}^  on  the  campus  remains  to  be  men- 
tioned. This  is  the  graduate  college  or  residential  home 
of  the  gratluatc  school.  It  is  situated  on  the  western 
portion  of  the  campus,  two-thirds  of  a  mile  from  Nassau 
Hall.  The  group  consists  of  Thomson  College,  which  is 
the  dormitory  portion,  the  Cleveland  Memorial  Tower, 
the  I-yne  Tower,  Wyman  House,  which  is  the  residence 
of  the  Dean,  and  Procter  Hall,  which  is  the  great  dining 
hall.  The  purely  residential  nature  of  the  group  is  thus 
evident.  Thomson  College  forms  the  central  quadrangle 
containing  rooms  for  over  a  hundred  studen'  besides 
kitchen,  service  quarters,  breakfast  rooms,  conrnon  and 
reading  room.  As  in  the  undergraduate  dormitories,  a 
single  suite  ordinarily  contains  a  bedroom  and  study, 
while  a  double  suite  contains  two  bedrooms  and  a  com- 
mon study. 

At  the  main  gate  of  the  quadrangle  stands  the  Cleve- 
land Tower,  forty  feet  square,  and  one  hundred  and 
seventy-three  feet  high,  containing  in  its  base  a  high 
vaulted  memorial  chamber,  in  which  it  is  hoped  to  place 
a  statue  of  President  Cleveland.  Adjoining  the  dinihg 
hall  is  the  Pyne  Tower,  presented  by  M.  Taylor  Pync 
of  the  class  of  1877.  and  containing  the  apartments  of 
the  master  in  residence,  guest  rooms,  and  the  vestibule 
hall,  which  connects  the  common  room  and  Procter  Hall. 
West  of  the  Pyne  Tower  is  Procter  Hall,  the  chief  pub- 
lic room  of  the  graduate  college,  measuring  in  the  in- 
teiior  thirty-six  by  one  hundred  and  eight  feet.  It  was 
erected  in  memory  of  the  donor's  parents.     The  most 


'^  i 


PROCTER  HALL 


367 


striking  feature  is  tlu'  {^reat  luoinorial  window,  at  the 
western  end  of  the  liall.  The  window  symbolizes 
Christian  Learning,  and  is  executed  in  the  manner  of 
tlie  fourteenth  eenlury. 

It  should  he  added  that  only  the  Swann  hecjuest,  and 
a  portion  of  the  Wyman  legaey,  and  of  the  I'roeter  gift 
have  been  expended  on  buildings.  The  large  bulk  of 
these  gifts  is  reserved  for  fellowships,  scholarships,  and 
professorships. 


J  i ' 


fj 


\^ 


l-S^- 


I'i     '  ■  ; 


;,,     ■ 


THE  COLLEGE  SEASONS 

The  Communal  Spirit  of  Dormitory  Life.  Tlio  Spirit  of  Or- 
ganization. '•  Horsinf?."  Opening  of  thf  Collogr  Year.  The 
Halls.  Senior  EInetions.  Cane  Si)reo.  Foothall.  The  Collpge 
in  MidwinttT.  Midyear  Examinations.  The  College  at  Work. 
Washington's  Hirtlulav.  The  Clui)  Kleetions.  College  Expenses. 
Democracy.     The  Spring  Term.     Senior  Singing.     Commencement. 

It  may  be  hard,  as  President  Wilson  confessed  in  1905 
in  what  is  one  of  the  most  successful  of  the  many  efforts 
to  describe  the  elusive  spirit  of  the  Princeton  campus,* 
to  say  whether  the  free  comradeship  and  democracy  of 
the  life  led  amid  the  surroundings  and  associations  al- 
luded to  in  preceding  chapters  are  cause  or  effect  in 
relation  to  the  influences  which  have  made  Princeton 
what  it  is.     Nevertheless,  there  can  be  but  little  ques- 
tion that  the  conditions  of  that  life,  especially  in  its 
residential  features — where  each  man  has  his  own  abode, 
yet  shares  as  member  of  one  great  fam'ly  in  all  the 
minor  daily  intimacies  of  hundreds  living  like  himself; 
where  he  has  but  to  step  outdoors  to  find  himself  in 
pleasant  gardens  and  never  a  trespasser  or  stranger; 
where  he  may  stand  beneath  friends'  windows  and,  un- 
afraid of   artificial  etiquette,   call   up   in   the   careless 
campus  fashion,  or  may  enter  dozens  of  rooms  whose 
doors  are  never  locked  nor  their  tobacco  jars  empty — 
there  can  be  little  question  that  the  democracy  of  Prince- 
ton has  been  nurtured  by  the  communal  quality  of  the 

'  .T.  R.  Williams.  "  Handbook  of  Princeton,  with  an  Introduc- 
tion by  VvooUiONV  Wilson,"'  N.  Y.,  1905,  p.  -xiv,  etc. 


COMMUNAL  SPIRIT 


369 


dormitory  system.    "  It  is  this  community  of  feeling  and 
action,"  wrote  President  Wilson  in  the  description  al- 
luded to,  "  this  sense  of  close  comradeship  among  the 
undergraduates  not  only,  but  also  between  the  under- 
graduates and  the  faculty,  that  constitutes  the  spirit  of 
the  place  and  makes  its  ideals  and  aspirations  part  of 
thought  and  action.    It  naturally  follows,  too,  that  gradu- 
ates never  feel  their  connection  with  the  place  and  its 
life   entirely   broken,   but   return   again   and   again  to 
renew  their  old  associations,  and  are  consulted  at  every 
critical  turn  in  its  affairs.    Such  comradeship  in  affairs, 
moreover,  breeds  democracy  inevitably.    Democracy,  the 
absence  of  social  distinctions,  the  treatment  of  every 
man  according  to  his  merits,  his  most  serviceable  quali- 
ties, and  most  likable  traits,  is  of  the  essence  of  such  a 
place,  its  most  cherished  characteristic.     The  spirit  of 
the  place,  therefore,  is  to  be  found  in  no  one  place  or 
trait  or  organization ;  neither  in  its  classrooms  nor  on  its 
campus,  but  in  its  life  as  a  whole.   ...   It  lives  and 
grows  by  comradeship  and  community  of  thought ;  that 
constitutes  its  charm ;  binds  the  spirit  of  its  sons  to  it  with 
a  devotion  at  once  ideal  and  touched  with  passion ;  takes 
hold  of  the  imagination  even  of  the  casual  visitor,  if  he 
have  the  good  fortune  to  see  a  little  way  beneath  the 
surface ;  dominates  its  growth  and  progress ;  determines 
its  future.     The  most  careless  and  thoughtless  under- 
graduate breathes  and  is  governed  by  it.    It  is  the  genius 
of  the  place." 

If  it  is  hard  to  express  in  set  terms  the  spirit  of  the 
Princeton  campus,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  describe  in 
any  satisfactory  way  the  life  which  that  spirit  per- 
meates. The  spirit  is  nothing  new,  it  lurks  between  the 
lines  of  the  1786  diary  and  even  in  the  letters  and 
reminiscences  of  Leland.     But  the  life,  in  ail  save  its 


i: 


III 


111 


Ifi 


o     .^ 


* 

i  . 

4 

i 

u'  i 

»'f 

■  ( 


i  I  i 


;! 


•.!> 


370 


THE  COLLEGE  SEASONS 


dormitory  charafiteristics,  has  changed.  The  oichteonth- 
contury  ('oHcpiiaii's  iiiisadvcntiins  in  Tarkington's 
"  Chorry  "  '  helong,  of  course,  to  a  totally  vanished  a^'o. 
The  Princeton  of  the  forties  and  fifties,  as  known  to 
"  His  Majesty  Myself  "  -  or  to  "  Mr.  Christopher  Katy- 
did."^ is  unrccoKniza])le  to  the  twentieth-century  col- 
legian. The  life  which  "  A  Princetonian  "  '  led  in  the 
early  nineties  seems  curiously  remote  from  that  led  but 
lately  by  "  Deering  at  Princeton."  •'  Even  the  "  Prince- 
ton Stories,""  treating  lhou<,'h  they  do  of  types  and 
therefore  more  likely  to  be  permanently  true  to  campus 
life  than  specific  scenes  and  incidents  in  a  novel,  never- 
theless contain  numerous  details  which  the  modern  under- 
graduate does  not  comprehend ;  and  they  cannot  reject 
the  latter-day  complexity.  But  running  through  all 
these  portrayals  of  Princetim,  uneven  though  they  are  in 
quality,  and  ditlering  in  their  setting,  beside  the  never 
failing  note  of  eager  irrepressible  youth,  is  also  that 
of  a  communal  democratic  existence,  the  note  of  the 
Princeton  dormitory  life.  In  this  closing  chapter  then 
no  attempt  shall  be  made  to  describe  the  day-to-day  pur- 
suits of  the  average  modern  undergraduate ;  they  vary 
with  each  college  generation.  It  is  proposct!  ri^erely 
to  notice  some  of  the  mor(>  distinctive  f.'at  I'.es  of 
the  life  he  takes  part  in,  and  to  touch  upon  a  few  of 
the  elements  that  enter  into  the  composition  of  its 
spirit. 

Time  was  when  the  campus  settled  itself,  after  Com- 
mencement Day,  for  a  three  months'  drowse  which  was 


'Booth  rarkington  (189.1). 
"  Hv  W.  ^t.   linker   (lS-4(i). 
»  H\-  .J.  T.  Wiswiill    (1S51). 
•  Bv   James   H.irnos    (1891). 
'  Ry    I.atta  (Jri.swold    (lltOl). 
■' iiv  J.  L.  Wiiiian'a   (ISu^). 


i      v:ti.  :\ 


I 


SUMMER  VACATION 


:i71 


I)roken  only  by  the  chatter  of  IIil)orniun  charwonuii  in 
tin-  buililini^s  and  the  rat-a-plaii  of  carpet  heaters  umlor 
the  trees.  In  still  remoter  days  there  were  usually  a  few 
students  from  the  far  south  or  southwest  who  spent  the 
vacation  in  Princeton  because  of  the  expense  of  traus- 
l^ortation  to  their  homi.-s  or  because  of  the  pleasanter 
climate  of  the  north.  The  vacuum  cleaner  has  done  away 
with  the  carpet  beater,  and  the  lonely  studi'Ut  on  vaca- 
tion has  given  place  to  student  workers  on  the  C^ollcf^e 
farm,  to  members  of  the  faculty  trying  to  catch  up  with 
private  work,  and  to  backward  entering  men  and  under- 
graduates preparing  to  remove  conditions  at  the  exami- 
nation set  for  the  last  week  or  two  of  the  long  vacation. 
Dormitories  are  closed,  but  the  libraries,  nuiseums,  and 
laboratories  remain  open;  the  University  tennis  courts 
are  kept  in  use ;  and  th(!  campus  is  no  longer  (juite 
deserted  during  the  summer.  Then  one  day  suddenly  the 
town  begins  to  fill  up,  the  local  stores  and  markets 
freshen  their  displays,  official  announcements  appear  on 
University  bulletin  boards,  and  on  a  certain  September 
afternoon  the  College  bell  breaks  f(irth  into  unwonted 
clamor  as  if  eager  to  resume  its  duties ;  an  academic  pro- 
cession files  out  of  Nassau  Hall  on  its  way  to  ]\Iarquaud 
Chapel,  and  the  opening  exercises  of  the  hundred  and 
sixty-oddth  year;  and  a  huge  piece  of  machinery  starts 
into  life  again.  For,  as  may  be  readily  supposed,  the 
chief  difference  between  the  life  of  the  campus  to-day  and 
the  life  of  earlier  times,  or  even  of  twenty-five  years  ago, 
is  the  complexity  and  highly  developed  oiganization  of 
the  present,  as  compared  with  the  former  monotonous 
simplicity.  The  daily  routine  sed  to  consist  of  an  ever 
recurring  round  of  attendance  at  chapel,  recitation,  and 
refectory,  ushered  in  by  a  rising  bell  at  one  end  of  the 
day  and  closed  bv  curfew  at  the  other,  with  two  or 


V 


^? 


ill 


I 

'     I  >  ■* 

.  1 ' ' 


! 

t 
i 


\.>\k 


1 . 


372 


THE  COLLEGE  SEASONS 


three  hours'  liberty  between  whiles  and  occasional  stolen 
visits  to  local  refreshment  dispensaries. 

Nowadays,  owiuj,'  to  the  mere  physical  fact  that  the 
student    body   has   outgrown    the   seating   capacity   of 
chapel  and  there  is  not  room  for  the  whole  college  to- 
gether, the  undergraduate  is  re(|uircd  to  be  present  at 
compulsory  prayirs  but  two  mornings  per  week.     lie  is 
expected  to  attend  his  scheduled  class  exercises,  but  he 
may  absent  himself  from  them  forty-nine  times  in  two 
consecutive  terms — on  his  fiftieth  absence  he  meets  his 
doom  in  the  offi<'e  of  tlic  ihan;  he   may  consume  ice 
cream  soda   befoie  breakfast   and   all  day   long  if  he 
wishes;  he  may  even  drink  a  glass  or  two  of  beer;  and 
provided  he  observes  a  few  simple  rules  of  conduct  and 
attendance  he  may  order  as  he  pleases  his  comings  in 
and  goings  out ;  he  is  master  of  his  own  time.    But  if  he 
is  neither  an  extremist  nor  a  fool  and  if  his  college 
schedule  is  insufficient  to  keep  him  continuously   em- 
ployed, and  he  has  mental  alertness  or  surplus  energy 
to  spare,  he  can  find  a  dozen  legitimate  interests  with 
which  to  exercise  his  wits  and  crowd  his  time.     Indeed  it 
is  a  question  whether  this  college  eonununity,  given  its 
liuiitation  of  size  and  its  closely  knit  composition,  is  not 
in  danger  of  suffering   from  over-organization  in  the 
abundance  of  its  interests.     For  the  spirit  of  organization 
has  gripped  the  life  of  the  modern  Princeton  undergradu- 
ate.    While  on  the  one  hand,  the  tendency  in  recent 
years  on  the  intellectual  side,  as  shown  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  curriculum  and  method  of  instrueaon,  has 
been  to  give  greater  emphasis  and  depth  and  a  more 
spontaneous  and  genuine   vitality  to   fewer  and   more 
essential  things,  the  trend  of  student  life,  on  the  other 
hand,   has  been  to  increase  the  multiplicity  of  extra- 
curriculum  affairs,  wliile  at  the  same  time  in  self-defense 


SPIRIT  OF  OR(JANIZATION 


;57;{ 


systematizing  their  operation.  This  growing  multiplicity 
of  interests  is  most  easily  illustrated  in  s{)orts.  Whereas 
Itasfball,  football,  gymnastics,  anil  track  athletics  were 
the  only  forms  of  collegf  sport  a  couple  of  decades  ago, 
now  there  are  in  addition  soccer,  rowing,  golf,  trap- 
shooting,  swimming,  tennis,  water  polo,  hocI.>y.  baskct- 
l»all,  wrestling,  fencing,  boxing,  and  cross-countrj'  run- 
ning. It  is  only  fair  to  add  that  with  this  increased  zest 
lor  sports  has  developed  also  a  keener  interest  in  things 
intellectual.  The  average  modern  student  plays  harder; 
but  he  likewise  studies  harder. 

In  many  ways  the  organizing  spirit  of  the  times  has 
worked  advantageously.  For  example,  it  has  abolished 
the  old  iniquitous  monopolies  in  money-making  oppor- 
tunities, and  by  concentrating  the  latter  in  the  Bureau 
of  Student  Self  Help  has  given  men  needing  employment 
to  see  them  through  college,  an  equal  chance  to  earn  as- 
sistance. Similarly  the  centralization  in  the  Press  Club 
of  newspaper  service  has  eliminated,  as  far  as  under- 
graduate reporting  at  least  is  concerned,  the  reckless 
sensationalism  of  earlier  times.  But  in  other  manifesta- 
tions, less  vital  to  be  sure  but  not  less  indicative,  the 
mechanizing  spirit  of  the  day  strikes  at  spontaneity. 
Examples  are  the  now  customary  and  therefore  perfunc- 
tory cheering  of  a  lecturer  at  the  end  of  the  terra,  or 
the  preliminary  practice  for  senior  singing. 

A  curious  instance  is  the  codification  of  "  horsing," 
the  institution  which  a  casual  observer  would  probably 
name  as  the  most  conspicuous  feature  of  the  opening 
days  of  the  fall  term.  Horsing,  the  last  relic  of  hazing 
and  the  still  older  "  freshmanship,"  has  one  foot  in  the 
grave,  and  whether  to  bolster  it  during  the  remaining 
few  years  of  its  life  or  to  end  its  misery  at  once  is  being 
discussed  by  the  two  highest  courts  of  undergraduate 


I  If 


f 


^ 


a     -^ 


;}74 


TIIH  COI.LHCJK  SKASONS 


r  i 


'.,•» 


I      I   c 

1 


it. 


sclf-jrovcrmiicnt.  the  Srnior  Council  ami  tlif  Daily 
I'nnc'toiiiuii.  II  would  s<  <iu  as  if  the  C'oUr^'c  had  oiit- 
j^rown  it.  and  that  this  ancifiit  pnuticc  must  soon  be 
suptrsi'dcd  hy  an  unwrittrn  codo  rcstiiiK  i'or  its  fnt'orcc- 
niont  not  on  sophomore  »«•  ncy  hut  on  ixihlic  opinion, 
hy  whidi  it  first-year  man  will  he  niiiimlfd,  if  nn'd  he, 
that  he  is,  as  the  "Student's  Ilandhook  "  puts  it, 
"  a  freshman  in  the  I'liiversity  and  not  an  upp<rehiss- 
man  in  his  preparatory  seliool."'  I'ltinuitely,  in  nn 
aeademie  millennium  which  may  not  he  so  very  far  dis- 
tant in  this  respect,  there  will  he  no  more  distinction 
hetwcen  freshmen  and  the  rest  of  the  campus  family  than 
there  is  now  hetween  juniors  and  seniors. 

In  the  meantime  the  Senior  Coiuicil  has  issued  a  set 
of  "  llorsiuf;  Rules  "  which  will  some  (hiy  seem  as  quaint 
as  President  Burr's  code  of  "  Laws  and  Customs."    Not 
until  one  hour  after  the  formal  opening,'  of  the  Tniver- 
sity  in  the  autumn  may  "  horsiuR  "  In^'in.     It   is  not 
allowed  ott"  the  campus  save  on  University  I'lr.ce,  nor  in 
the  rooms  of  any  member  of  the  University,  nor  in  front 
of  Chapel,  nor  in  the  vicinity  of  the  dininj?  halls  and 
Murray-Dodge,  nor  on  the  platform  of  the  railroad  sta- 
tion.    No   longer,   therefore,  u'  .s  the   timid   freshman 
dodge  down  the  side  streets  of  the  town  or   furtively 
dart  along  in  the  shadow  (m  his  way  to  dinner  in  the 
evening.    He  knows  exactly  what  are  his  safety  zones  and 
where  his  havens  of  refuge  lie.     As  practiced  at  present 
"  horsing  "  usually  consists  in  urging  freshmen  to  "  hit 
it  up  "  when  going  to  recitations,  to  demanding  that  they 
entertain  with  song  or  speech,  or  to  marching  them  in 
the  "  lockstep  express  "  to  commons.    In  procedure  it  is 
usually  noisy,  sometimes  genuinely  amusing,  and  always 


'  Since  ttic^o  lines  were  written  the  Senior  Council  has  abolished 


April,    l'>!4 


"  IKJHSINU  " 


375 


^,'()0<l-niituri'cl.  Its  advoi-atcs  assort  that  it  is  too  excd- 
Ifiit  a  discijjlinc  to  bo  utterly  discarded.  Its  o|)p()nents 
reply  that  it  is  tod  ehildi^h  to  be  longer  tolerated  even 
iu  its  ilying  spasms. 

"  Horsing  "  itself  la.sts  only  ten  days  in  the  opening 
of  the  fall  tenn,  but  fnshnian  rules  extend  praetieuUy 
through  the  year.  The  partieular  regulations  relating 
to  dross  have  for  the  most  part  grown  up  since  hazing 
was  abolished.  Hut  rules  of  long  standing  forbid  fresh- 
men to  wear  the  eollege  colors  in  any  form,  or  to  smoke 
pipes  or  cigars  in  public,  or  to  i)lay  ball  on  the  campus 
save  on  Brokaw  Field.  As  of  old  they  are  expected  to 
give  way  to  what  President  Burr's  code  called  their 
"  superiors."  Until  Washington's  Hirthtlay,  they  arc 
expected  to  remain  in  their  rooms  after  the  curfew 
rings.  One  thing  they  may  do,  and  they  do  it  joyously 
and  with  a  will:  it  is  their  duty  to  haul  lumber  for  the 
gigantic  bonfires  around  the  cannon  at  times  of  athletic 
celebration.  The  democratizing  effect  of  these  rules  is 
clear  enough;  iu  his  black  cap  and  jersey  the  school 
athletic  star  or  classroom  idol  is  indistinguishable  from 
the  freshman  whose  name  has  never  got  into  the  papers; 
the  boy  of  the  wtdlthy  family  looks  no  better  than  the 
struggling  minister's  son,  working  his  way  through  eol- 
lege. Other  rules  dating  from  a  remote  past  specify 
that  marble  playing  is  a  junior  prerogative,  and  top 
spinning  in  the  spring  a  senior  privilege,  while  juniors 
and  seniors  alike  have  the  right  to  wear  silk  hats,  a 
right  never  exercised  save  when  the  "  gay  young  sopho- 
more "  of  the  campus  song,  emerges  from  his  last  exami- 
nation, "  safe  iu  the  junior  class."  Then  he  and  his 
fellows,  in  beaver  hats  of  ancient  vintage,  indulge  in 
the  favorite  Princeton  form  of  collective  ebullition  of 
feeling, — parading  behind  a   drum   and  some  form  of 


'< 


:,■ 


'f. 


V 


376 


THE  COLLECIK  SEASONS 


1  'W  :% 


I ' 


1 1 


noise-making  wind  instrument.  The  regulations  here 
mentioned  are  all  listed  in  the  "  Student's  Handbook," 
a  eonvenient  little  publication  issued  for  entenng  men  by 
the  Philadelphian  Society  and  containing  a  quantity  of 
helpful  information  and  plenty  of  good  advice. 

The  freshman's  iutrodv.etion  to  class  solidarity  occurs 
when  the  term  is  but  a  day  old  and  he  attends  his  class 
election   in   the   Gymnasium.     The    freshman   columns 
force   tl-.eir  way   into   the   building  through   the   solid 
ranks  of  the  sophomores  and  this  constitutes  the  lirst 
of  the  three  sophomore-freshman  rushes.     In  the  even- 
ing of  the  same  day  the  annual  cannon  rush  takes  place, 
when  the  sophomores  guard  the  big  cannon  and  it  is  the 
freshmen's  duty  to  reacli  the  goal.    Here  the  excitement 
is  increased  by  the  darkness  and  by  the  fact  that  the 
freshmen  cohorts  are  massed  at  various  points  under  the 
direction  of  the  juniors  and  aim  to  strike  the  defenders 
together  in  converging  lines  of  attack.    The  actual  con- 
flict lasts  but  three  minutes  by  the  official  time-keeper's 
watch.     Each  side  invariably  claims  the  victory.     The 
final  encounter  between  the  two  lower  classes  occurs  a 
few  weeks  later  in  connection  with  their  annual  baseball 

game.  ,, 

But  first-year  men  are  not  limited  to  the  "  Handbook 
for  their  instruction  in  matter.,  lying  outside  the  cur- 
riculum, nor  is  entrance  into  college  marked  only  by 
encounters  with  sopl  omores,  although  these  seeni  to 
bulk  so  largely  in  the  opening  days  of  the  term.  Each 
has  an  "  adviser  "  among  the  younger  members  of  the 
faculty  to  whom  he  is  encouraged  to  go  with  all  or  any 
of  his  perplexities;  and  experienc_>  has  proved  that  a 
freshnuin  has  problems  that  tax  the  resourcefulness  of 
the  wisest  adviser.  His  true  introduction  to  College 
comes    at    the    :^Iurr;>.y- Dodge    reception    to    the    new- 


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COLLEGE  ACTIVITIES 


377 


comers.  Here  a  very  different  and  a  far  more  significant 
side  of  college  life  is  shown.  Representative  upperclass- 
mer;  in  various  spheres  of  college  activity  describe  dis- 
tineuve  phases  of  campus  life.  The  chairman  of  the 
Senior  Council,  or  else  the  president  of  the  senior  class, 
explains  the  honor  system  and  what  it  means  in  campus 
public  opinion ;  the  captain  of  the  football  team  urg^s 
men  to  take  their  share  of  responsibility  in  their  class 
teams,  the  editor-in-chief  of  the  Princctonian  outlines 
the  method  of  candidacy  for  positions  on  the  college  pub- 
lication. The  president  of  the  University  usually  sp  iks. 
The  occasion  is  in  fact  a  freshman  mass  meeting  on  the 
importance  of  using  one's  talents  and  -^f  putting  one's 
shoulder  to  the  wheel. 

Meanwhile  the  schedule  of  lectures  and  recitations  is 
in  full  swing.     Upperclassmcn  are  taking  estimates  of 
their  preceptors  and  are  settling  down  to  the  term  read- 
ing and  the  talk  is  of  preceptorial  assignments.     The 
Senior  Council,  made  up  of  leaders  in  college  activities 
and  representing  all  interests,  scholarly,  athletic,  musical, 
dramatic,  religious,  literary,  executive,  ha^J  assumed  its 
duties.    A  dozen  organizations  of  serious  intent  like  the 
Engineering  Club,  the  ^lunicipal  Club,  the  Law  Club, 
the  Medical  Club,  the  Chemical  Club,  the  McCosh  Club, 
are  taking  up  their  interests.     And,  besides  these  more 
formal  groups,  a  number  of  smaller  and  almost  unknown 
but  thoroughly  live  gatherings  of  kindred  spirits  begin 
aetivity— small    reading    societies,    informal    donating 
clubs,  "and  the  like.    The  bulletin  columns  of  ihi  Daily 
Princctonian  are  filled  with  notices  regarding  this,  that, 
or  the  other  competitive  position  on  the  College  publica- 
tions.   Announcement  of  trials  for  the  University  musi- 
cal and  dramatic  clubs  jostle  notices  of  preceptorials  in 
English  poetry,  lectures  on  Old  Icelandic,  readings  in 


1 


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378       THE  COLLEGE  SEASONS 

honors  French,  and  graduate  courses  in  the  philosophy 
of  education.     Recitations  begin  at  ^'  "^>  a.m.,  immedi- 
ately after  chapel  and  occupy  the  mo!       -;  until  1 .30  p.m. 
Afternoons  are  devoted  to  laborators   work,  to  reading, 
and  to  exercise,  and  by  freshmen  to  compulsory  athletics 
under  the  direction  of  the  Department  of  Physical  Edu- 
cation.   The  various  teams  and  crews  are  at  practice; 
the  tennis  courts  and  golf  links  are  in  constant  use.    It 
has  been  estimated  that  on  an  average  afternoon  in  the 
early   autumn  not  loss  than   thirteen  hundred   under- 
graduates get  some  form  of  congenial  exercise.     The 
stretches  of  level  turf  between  the  various  buildings  are 
the  scene  of  continuous  ball  playing— football  punting 
in  the  fall  and  winter  in  an  indigenous  game  that  has 
no  name  and  only  one  or  two  rules  and  which  is  re- 
placed when  the  baseball  season  comes  around  by  knock- 
ing out  grounders  and  flies.     Interelass  athletic  cham- 
pionships  are  being   played   off,   the  only  occasion   in 
which  general  public  interest  is  at  all  keen  being  the 
sophomore-freshman  baseball  contest.     This  is  the  clos- 
ing game  in  the  interelass  series  and  is  generally  a  brief 
one  "and   conducted   amid   disconcerting  circumstances. 
The  very  fact,  however,  that  in  the  course  of  the  year 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  teams,  crews,  etc.,  compete 
in  intramural  contests  without  any  gallery  to  applaud 
them,  marks  the  development  of  the  new  spirit  in  ath- 
letics—that of  sport  for  sport's  sake.     Onlookers  of 
course  still  attend  football  practice,  but  the  majority 
of  undergraduates  are  participating  too  actively  in  some 
form  of  athletics  themselves  to  be  able  to  spend  much 
time  on  the  bleachers. 

One  night  early  in  the  autumn  the  precincts  of  the 
two  Halls  re-echo  with  unfamiliar  noises,  and  scores  of 
neophytes  may  be  scon  being  led  by  devious  paths  to  the 


t! 


\i 


THE  HALLS 


379 


Halls  for  initiation.  Just  why  initiation  into  these  lit- 
erary societies  should  be  accoinpanied  by  the  processes 
that  usually  are  connected  therewith  no  one  knows ;  but 
if  the  tales  of  college  <?ray-heads  may  be  believed  the 
rites  of  initiation  to-day  are  not  so  severe  a  test  of  a 
neophyte's  fitness  as  they  used  to  be.  The  institution 
of  a  course  of  public  speaking  and  debate  in  the  Halls, 
conducted  by  the  Department  of  English,  for  Hall  men 
and  accepted  as  a  part  of  the  regui  ir  freshman  curric- 
ulum, has  served  to  increase  the  membersiiip  which  had 
latterly  fallen.  The  forensic  interests  of  the  University 
are  monopolized  by  the  Halls.  Besides  the  customary 
Hall  prizes  for  oratory,  debating,  and  writing,  the  lead- 
ing college  prizes  such  as  the  Lynde  Debate  Medals,  and 
the  Junior  Orator  ]Mcdals  arc  open  to  eonipetition  only 
to  Hall  contestants.  Positions  on  intercollegiate  debat- 
ing teams  are  open  to  all  undergraduate  members  of 
the  University,  but  it  is  seldom  that  a  non-Hall  man  is  a 
contestant.  In  addition  to  the  course  in  public  speaking 
and  debate,  the  student  entering  a  Hall  may  follow  the 
regular  Hall  course  beside  gaining  in  the  weekly  business 
meetings  experience  in  parliamentary  law  and  the  con- 
duct of  deliberative  bodies.  If  he  fulfills  all  the  re- 
quirements, he  receives  a  diploma  of  graduation.  Be- 
sides their  literary  exercises  and  their  business  meetings, 
the  Halls  afford  the  use  of  libraries,  reading  rooms,  and 
billiard  rooms,  and  in  spite  of  their  lessened  relative 
prominence  in  campus  life  they  have  maintained  all  their 
old  independence  and  tradition  and  adapting  themselves 
to  the  new  conditions  they  offer  a  better  and  more  unique 
opportunity  than  ever  to  men  who  are  so  inclined. 

It  has  been  stated  that  a  freshman's  initiation  into 
class  solidarity  takes  place  at  the  time  of  the  class  elec- 
tion  soon   after   the  term   boprins.     Tlie   other   classes 


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380 


THE  COLLEGE  SEASONS 


organize  later  in  the  autumn.    The  most  important  elec- 
tion is  obviously  that  of  the  senior  class  and-a  multiplic- 
ity of  regulations  has  grown  up  to  control  the  event. 
The  presidcney  of  the  senior  class  is  the  foremost  office 
in   f'ollege.     The   class  secretary   acquires  leading  im- 
portanee  as  soon  as  the;  class  is  graduated.     On  him 
depends  in  the  years  to  come  the  maintenance  of  the  class 
spirit  and  organization.     He  is  the  official  link  between 
the  class  and  the  alumni  body.    He  is  the  class  repre- 
sentative on  the  Graduate  Council.    Tic  issues  all  class 
notices,  preserves  all  class  records,  and  publishes  the  class 
histories.     And  with  the  president  of  the  class  he  is 
usually  at  the  head  of  reunion  committees.    At  the  senior 
elections  are  also  chosen  the  commencement  officers  and 
committees.    Modern  methods  have  vastly  improved  the 
old-time  machinery,  and  senior  elections  arc  no  longer 
the  interminable  and  riotous  proceedings  they  used  to  be, 
but  are  run  off  in  a  businesslike  manner  that  causes 
scarcely  a  ripple  on  the  surface  of  academic  life. 

There  are  still  a  few  things  of  which  the  businesslike 
spirit  of  the  times  has  not  been  able  to  alter  the  spon- 
taneous character.    One  of  these  is  the  cane  spree,  a  pic- 
turesque night  scene  in  the  late  autumn,  staged  on  the 
natural  arena  between  Alexander  Hall  and  Witherspoon. 
This  contest,  now  approaching  its  fiftieth  anniversary,  is 
an  odd  survival  of  the  rule  that  freshmen  may  not  carry 
canes.     At  first  a  rough  and  tumble  daylight  scramble 
or  V  spree."  in  Nassau  Street  when  the  sophomores  used 
to  attempt  to  wrest  canes  from  parading  freshmen,  the 
occasion  was  soon  regulated,  and  champions  were  chosen 
to  represent  the   classes.     Beginning   with   1876  three 
pairs  of  spreers  were  selected— light,  middle,  and  heavy 
weight— and  the  contest  was  held  on  the  present  arena. 
Next,  tiic  general  spree  which  followed  each  bout  was 


cant:  8PKi:r: 


381 


dropped  and  a  rush  substituted  until  i..  the  end  nf  the 
eighties,  abuses  having  arisen,  the  whole  affair  was  abol- 
ished. Restored  a  few  years  later  and  shorn  of  all  pic- 
turesqueness  it  was  held  by  daylight  at  University  Field, 
and  then  in  the  Gymnasium.  But  latterly  it  has  been  set 
back  amid  the  appropriate  surroundings  of  the  historic 
spreeing  ground,  in  the  midst  of  a  thiek  ring  of  cheer- 
ing supporters,  and  under  a  late  autumn  mo"n.  The 
canes,  it  may  be  said,  arc  stout  hickory  sticks  an  inch 
or  so  in  diameter  and  about  three  feet  long. 

But  in  .striking  contrast  to  the  spontaneity  of  the  cane 
spree  may  be  placed  the  annual  Yale  or  Harvard  foot- 
ball game,  when  a  crowd  of  thirty  or  forty  thousand 
people  descends  on  the  community  for  a  few  hours  and 
swamps  it.  College  exercises  are  perforce  abandoned; 
the  village  bravely  puts  on  gala  dress ;  there  is  an  hour 
or  so  of  nerve-straining  excitement ;  then  magically  with 
the  waning  light  of  the  November  afternoon  the  crowd 
vanishes ;  and  it  takes  the  College  and  village  a  week  or 
iwo  to  recover.  This  is  not  Princeton,  although  it  is  the 
only  Princeton  so  many  visitors  know ;  it  is  an  unnatural 
episode  in  the  quiet  life  of  the  place,  forced  upon  it  by 
the  development  of  modern  intercollegiate  athletics. 

The  first  heavy  fall  of  snow  used  to  be  full  of  peril  to 
freshmen.  Getting  to  recitation  meant  running  the 
gauntlet  of  snowballs  inn-inerab!e  in  varying  states  of 
hardness,  and  the  fact  thai  the  average  snowball  mis.sed 
its  mark,  made  the  experience  none  the  less  exciting. 
Pitched  battles  were  sometimes  arranged,  and  late  on  a 
wintry  afternoon  the  lower  classes  poured  from  recita- 
tion and  would  fight  it  out  on  the  front  campus  until 
nightfall,  while  upperclassmen  and  the  town  looked  on. 
After  these  battles  drug  stores  and  doctors'  offices  wuuld 
be  thronged  for  plaster  and  liniment,  and  chapel  the 


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382 


THE  COLLEGE  SEASONS 


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next  niorninp  looked  like  an  emergeiiey  hospital.     But 
systematic  snowballing'  and  snowball   figbts   have   been 
abolished,  and  windows  near  entries  to  recitation  halls 
get  broken  now  by  snowballs  tossed  around  more  in  fun 
than  with  any  set  purpose.     Snow  means  the  clo-c  of 
the  outdoor  season,  but  it  does  not  mean  the  ending  of 
sports,   lor  in   the   gymnasium   and  the  Brokaw  tank, 
week  after  week,  indoor  meets  and  contests,  intercollegi- 
ate and  intramural,  follow  one  another  ceaselessly.    But 
one  must  not  be  misled  into  believing  that  these  are  the 
only,   or  even   the  predominant  activities  that  occupy 
the' afternoons  and  evenings  of  the  long  winter  months. 
A  glance  down  the  column  of  the  Weekly  Bulletin  indi- 
cates partially  the  variety  of  extra-curriculum  interests 
that  make  these  months  the  busiest  of  the  year.     Or- 
chestral concerts  and  musical  recitals  of  various  sorts 
are  freqiient  through  the  winter,  to  which  undergradu- 
ates are  admitted  either  free  or  at  a  reduced  rate.    There 
is  a  whole  array  of  University  lectures  open  to  all  with- 
out charge.     Lectures  and  meetings  of  one  kind  or  an- 
other, illustrated  and  not.  find  room  in  the  schedule  and 
draw  their  audiences  to  Alexander  Hall,  IMcCosh,  Mur- 
ray-Dodge,  or  the   Palmer   Laboratory   lecture   rooms. 
Departmental  clubs  and  societies  meet  regularly,  sup- 
ported by  members  of  the  faculty  and  graduate  students. 
Bvit  the  Weekly  Bulletin  cannot  even  partially  reflect 
the  University  at  work.     Pause  some  evening  beneath 
the  windows  of  any  dormitory  on  the  campus— the  build- 
ings are  low  and  the  curtains  are  never  drawn.    From 
one  room  comes  the  rapid  clicking  of  a  typewriter  where 
someone  is  getting  out  a  report  or  an  essay,  or  it  may  be 
is  doing  copy  work;  in  another  room  arc  three  or  four 
men  hotly  arguing  some  triviality  of  college  politics; 
across  the  way  a  talking  machine  is  reproducing  the 


CAMPUS  LIFE 


383 


latest  Broadway  success ;  elsowhcrc  an  impromptu  quartet 
(if  piano,  violin,  puitar,  and  mandolin  is  rcniindiuf?  no- 
liody  of  the  Knciscls  or  the  Flonzalcys,  althoujih  the 
performers  are  in  deadly  earnest.  But  you  will  notice 
that  in  a  majority  of  the  rooms,  men  are  apparently 
doinj^  the  work  one  is  ordinarily  sup{)()sed  to  po  to  col- 
lege for.  Over  at  the  "  jipper  shop  "  and  at  the  various 
counters  and  refreshment  i)Iaees  on  the  street  underclass- 
men are  absorbing  the  eatables  which  so  worried  ancient 
faculties.  At  the  "  Nass, "  as  the  old  tavern  is  now 
familiarly  called,  probably  a  few  who  have  signed  their 
names  and  given  their  age  are  drinking  beer;  but  drink- 
ing is  not  popular  and  for  minors  who  state  their  age 
truthfully  is  practically  an  impo.ssibility  now  at  Prince- 
ton, owing  to  the  State  law  and  the  University's  support 
in  its  local  enforcement.  The  University  does  not  as- 
sume to  prohibit  drinking,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
prohibition  by  the  University  is  not  enforceable.  liut 
it  does  attempt  to  di.scourage  drinking,  and  especially 
to  destroy  the  notion  that  drinking  is  a  nect's.sar)'  or 
even  a  useful  accomplishment ;  and  it  is  succeeding 
in  this  efTort  to  a  degree  never  before  approached. 
Taken  all  in  all,  it  is  a  clean,  wholesome  life  that  one 
observes,  with  plenty  of  serious  work  being  done.  Ur. 
Madoan  remarked  that  collegians  were  not  angels  in 
his  day .  and  they  arc  not  angelic  yet,  or  proctors 
would  have  to  seek  other  employment.  But  the  sig- 
nificant thing  about  the  campus  to-day  compared  with 
the  life  of  not  so  many  years  ago  iz  that  through  the 
plastic  buoyant  carelessness  of  youth  is  running  a  marked 
strain  of  seriousness  which  often  produces  whimsical  con- 
trasts, but  which  deflects  in  part  at  least  the  vitalizing 
of  scholastic  work  and  the  passing  of  the  former  under- 
graduate view  that  earnestness  of  purpose  an 


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384 


THH  COLLi  oF,  SEASONS 


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was  scarcely  to  he  expected  of  a  man  in  his  four  pleasant 

years  of  eollfge. 

D\irinf,'  the  niitlycar  .xamination  period  the  talkinj?- 
niachines  are  silent,  and  lights  burn  lar  into  the  night, 
*'  I'oler's  recess  "  is  still  celebrated  when  curfew  rings 
at  nine,  and  from  a  hundred  suddenly  opened  windows 
there  breaks  forth  a  <lin  of  pistol  shots,  horn  blowing,  and 
cat-calls,  which  would  have  set  frantic  the  vice-president 
and  tutors  of  other  times.     A  few  minutes  later,  (piiet 
reigns  once  more  and  the  feast  of  syllabi  continues  with 
as  much  avidity  as  of  yore.    For,  in  spite  of  the  higher 
standards  and  the  improved  general  average  of  work, 
it  would  be  absurd  to  pretend  that  everyone  is  a  hard 
student  during  the  term.    Accordingly,  there  is  still  the 
desperate  cranuning  and  the   feverish,   remorseful   ab- 
sorption of  tabloid  information  just  before  an  examina- 
tion.   The  preceptorial  method  has  done  what  the  lecture 
method  never  could  do ;  it  has  not  only  pointed  out  to  the 
undergraduate  that  his  ac(iuisition  by  reading  for  him- 
self in  a  course  is  of  more  real  and  permanent  value  to 
him  than  the  mere  listening  to  lectures  on  the  course,  but 
it  has  changed  his  attitude  toward  intellectual  efilort  to 
"Aich  an  extent  that  the  st^'dent  who  studies  during  the 
term  is  no  longer  one  of  an  insignificant  minority,  but 
belongs  to  the  majority;  the  very  word  "  poler  "  has 
dropped    from    campus    vocabulary.     Nevertheless    the 
preceptorial    method    is   no    educational    panacea,    nor 
is  Princeton's   undergraduate    department   yet   a    col- 
lege   of   honors   candidates   only.    Far   from    it.     The 
"mortality  "    after    midyear    examinations    is    proof 
enough  of  that.     Th-  gulf,  however,  which  used  to  be 
fixed  between    the    few    who    came   to   Princeton    with 
serious  intentions  and  those  who  came  merely  to  enjoy 
the  life  and  engage  in  anything   rather  than  proper 


i  i 


RECOCJN'ITION  OF  SCIIOLAKSIIIP 


385 


attention  to  scholastic  duties,  has  been  fjllcd.     Th»'  Phi 
Hfta  Kappa  reeords  show  that  extra-eurricuiuni  activi- 
ties and  honors  i'ali  to  hi<^h-stand  men  as  iiiueh  as.  if  not 
proportionately  inoro  than,  to  those  who  in  scholarship 
iiieroly  keep  their  heads  above  water.    All  the  trend  of 
recent  legislation   has  been  toward   the  rceoKuition   of 
scholarship  and  intellectual  endeavor  and  the  oblitera- 
tion of  loafing.    Freshmen  just  out  of  school  are  assigned 
to  advisers  and  fro(iuent  "  tests  "  or  brief  examinations 
act  as  a  con.stant  drive  toward  maintenance  of  standing. 
To  upperclassmen  the  fiiuil  sjx'cial  honor  plan  offers  the 
incentives  of  special  consideration  and  of  increased  lib- 
erty of  intellectual  effort.    And,  beginning  with  the  year 
1914-1915,  upperclassmen  of  a  certain  standing  will  cease 
to  be  checked  up  in  their  classroom  attendance.     Ab- 
sences will  be  no  longer  charged  against  them.    It  will 
be  taken  for  grantetl  that  they  will  be  the  last  men  to 
neglect  their  college  duties.     The  revolutionary  nature 
of  this  step,  so  far  as  Princeton  is  concerned,  will  be 
recognized  when  it  is  remembered  that  since  the  found- 
ing up  to  the  present  time  attendance  on  class  exercises 
has  been  required  and  recorded.    This  step  is  a  recog- 
nition of  the  responsibility  of  scholarship  and  an  earnest 
of  the  time  to  come  when  a  stigma   will  be  attached 
to  the  fact  that  a  man's  presence  or  absence  at  class 
exercises  has  to  be  noted  because  he  is  not  sufficiently 
responsible  to  have  won  exemption  from  surveillance. 
The  change  in  undergraduate  attitude  toward  college 
work  that  this  step  recognizes  is  further  illustrated  by 
the  reception  accorded  the  new  plan  of  final  special 
honors,  now  in  the  first  year  of  its  operation.    By  this 
plan,  it  will  be  remembered,  graduation  honors  are  open 
only  to  those  who  at  the  beginning  of  junior  year  are, 
by  their  high  standing,  eligible  to  candidacy  and  who  an- 


ii'H 


-r 


n 


38G 


TlIK  COl.hHOK  SEASONS 


A 


/^ 


f    > 


.1 


1 


nouncf  tliiir  intention  to  try  lor  final  honors.     Candi- 
dutt'S  may  take  out'  course  Irss  than  the  rest  of  the  chiss, 
hut  the  work  planned  lor  tluiii  is  of  a  hi^'lier  type,  is 
more  intensive  in  its  method,  and  extends  through  the 
hist  two  yeai-s  of  the  eourse.    It  was  to  he  expected  that 
the  phm  wouhl  l)e  accepted  somewhat  gingerly  at  first, 
for  the  undergraduate  is  a  eliary  animal  and  constitution- 
ally siis[)ieious  of  gift-hearing  (Ireeks;  and  yet  events 
proved  that  fifty-eight  per  cent,  of  the  men  eligihle  at  the 
opening  of  the  year  l!)i;M!)14  elected  to  hecome  candi- 
dates for  honors  under  this  new  and  untried  plan.    Not 
an  extraordinary  percentage  perhaps,  hut  a  significant 
one  for  an  initial  result. 

Midyear  examinations  are  no  sooner  past  than  Wash- 
ington's Hirthtlay  is  celehrated— not  with  the  old  leaven 
of  underclass  malice  and  wickedness,  hut  with  a  decorum 
that  is  ahiiost  painfully  solemn.    As  we  have  seen,  Wash- 
ington's Birthday  used  to  he  the  last  opportunity  for 
sophomore-freshman   expressions   of   mutual   antipathy. 
The  "  horsing  "  rules  have  done  away  with  this  and 
none  of  the  objectionahle  features  that  used  to  mar  the 
day  (and  at  the  same  time  provide  the  interest)  remains. 
Painting  the  town  green  or  otherwise  giving  evidences  of 
sophomore  superiority  on  this  occasion  has  long  since 
been  discarded.    The  modern  umlergraduate  finds  no  fun 
in  defacing  property.     The  "  Christian  Athlete  "  who 
poses  in  front  of  Murray-Dodge  is  safe  from  the  atten- 
tions lavished  on  the  "  Gladiator  "  who  used  to  grace 
the   facade  of  the  old  gymnasium— safe  not   only  be- 
cause he  is  very  much  clothed  and  it  would  be  imprac- 
ticable to  glue  on  him  a  suit  of  red  flannel  underwear. 
as  onee  was  the  fortune  of  his  pagan  prototype  when  a 
well-known  social  reformer  visited  the  College,  but  safe 
because  the  modern  undergraduate  is  rather  proud  o. 


\A 


■    i.  i 


(JLCa  KLECTIOXS 


387 


fiis  campus  and  would  resent  tu  tin'  utti-rmost  any  df- 
t'acoHunt  <d"  its  building's  and  |,(  fssions.  Wasliinj^'tuu's 
JJirthday.  to  resume,  is  tlierelore  so  decorous  an  occa- 
sion that  it  is  little  more  than  a  "  day  ofT,"  and  Alex- 
ander Hall  seems  too  stately  an  auditorium  for  the 
sprinkling  of  [jcoplc  who  assemble  to  hear  the  four  ora- 
tions nud  the  Class  of  1870  prize  debate. 

The  new  spirit  and  the  new  regulations  may  have  de- 
tracted from  the  interest  of  Washington's  i;irth<lay  ex- 
ercises, but  they  havi-  not  killed  interest  in  the  eluli 
elections  which  take  place  immediately  after  Wasliin^r- 
ton's  Birthday.  This  is  not  tin'  i)lacc  to  discuss  the 
(lucstion  as  to  whether  or  not  the  Princeton  club  system 
is  radically  wrong — whether  it  is,  as  a  socialist  writer 
in  the  Xassau  Literary  Magazine  ,sti<^mati/es  it.  "  an 
institution  rotten  to  the  innermost  core,"  or  as  it  seems 
to  an  older  critic  obscrvin<^  it  from  the  caliui  r  viewpoint 
of  a  non-Princetonian,  "  the  most  representative,  the 
most  truly  democratic  social  .system  in  any  American 
university."  The  truth  would  probably  lie  .somewhere 
between  the  two  statements.  It  is  at  any  rate  undeni- 
able that  during  the  year  one  hardly  hears  of  the  clubs 
as  organizations  save  in  intra-coUcge  sports.  Since  the 
abolition  of  club  hatbands  several  years  ago  it  has  been 
impossible  to  tell  the  clubman  from  the  non-clubman.  As 
organizations,  the  clubs  exercise  no  controlling  function 
in  the  life  of  the  College;  they  are  merely  conveniences, 
the  outgrowth  of  the  old  eating-club  system  which  suc- 
ceeded the  refectorj';  they  are  still  primarily  eating- 
clubs,  where  simple  meals  are  served  to  members  three 
times  a  day. 

One  has  but  to  watch  the  stream  of  men  coming  from 
Prospect  Avenue,  where  the  clubs  are  located,  after  the 
htncheon  and  dinner  hours  to  realize  how  few  mem- 


I 


J!' 


1 


E^iTJ^^m^r^ 


388 


THE  COLLEGE  SEASOx\S 


■>h 


•f 


•H; 


'  ,1 


bers  remain  long  in  tlie  elubliousos  after  meals.    In  the 
evening  there  is  loitering  over  billiard  tables  or  around 
the  pianola,  or  a  rubber  or  two  of  bridge  upstairs;  but 
by  eight  o'clock  the  houses  are  literally  deserted  and 
Prospect  Avenue  is  dark.     For  it  must  be  remembered 
that  no  undergraduate  is  allowed  to  room  at  a  club ;  the 
bedrooms  arc  used  only  by  visiting  alumni  members,  and 
they  remain  empty  the  year  around  save  at  commence- 
ment, or  in  the  autunm  and  spring  on  the  occasion  of 
important  games.    It  has  been  a  surprise  to  visitors  with 
preconceived  theories  as  to  the  Princeton  clubs  to  find 
that  they  maintain  no  bars  or  their  eciuivalent.  and  that 
no  liquor  is  obtainable  at  them.     The  houses  varj-  in 
appointments.    Several  are  modest  enough ;  all  are  com- 
fortable and  homelike;  some  are  private  residences  re- 
modeled; others  have  been  erected  by  the  clubs  them- 
selves.   All  of  the  clubs  own  their  property  and  most  of 
them  are  accordhigly  saddled  with  de])t.    Three  or  four 
of  the  sixteen  are  undoubtedly  too  pretentious  in  appear- 
ance, but  better  acquaintance  reveals  the  fact  that  they 
make  a  braver  external  show  of  luxury  than  their  in- 
ternal   appointments    substantiate.     Herein    lies    their 
greatest  danger ;  for  sophomores  are  likely  to  allow  mere 
exteriors  to  weigh  too  heavily  in  accepting  or  declining 
election.    J^Iany  members  of  the  faculty  either  are  gradu- 
ate members  or  have  the  privileges  extended  to  them; 
and  the  type  of  professor  who  has  not  lost  his  interest  in 
undergraduates  and  who  is  also  a  bachelor  and  there- 
fore  free  to  accept  the  frequent  and  spontaneous  invita- 
tions he  receives  to  luncheon  or  dinner,  is  not  so  rare  a 
guest  at  the  clubs  as  some  would  think.    As  for  freshman 
and  sophomore  toadying  to  a  elub  or  making  a  set  cam- 
paign for  election— such  things  have  become  ineffective 
under  the  system,  and  therefore  rare,  and  furthermore 


CLUB  SYS 1 EM 


389 


are  totally  hostile  to  the  spirit  of  the  place.  INIen  are 
elected  on  their  owu  merit,  for  their  own  (lualities  and 
abilities.  It  is  somewhat  significant  of  the  spirit  of  the 
I'rinceton  social  system  that  forty-one  per  cent,  of  the 
present  upperclassmen  who,  because  of  insufficient  means, 
are  receiving  financial  aid  from  the  University,  are  mem- 
bers of  the  clubs.  This  means  first,  that  the  lack  of 
wealth  does  not  count  in  election,  and  second,  that  such 
men  are  earning  their  club  fees  since  the  clubs  are  run 
on  too  close  a  margin  to  be  able  to  carry  non-paying 
members.  That  there  arc  heart-burnings  and  disappoint- 
ments, and  even  that  friendships  have  been  broken 
through  the  results  of  club  elections  is  probably  true. 
Similar  disappointments  attend  college  competitive 
honors;  but  their  tragic  effect  on  the  individual  is  in 
exact  ratio  to  the  exaggerated  and  unwarranted  impor- 
tance with  which  he  has  invested  the  circumstances. 

These,  then,  are  the  organizations  into  which  in  Feb- 
ruary the  majority  of  sophomores  are  elected,  but  whose 
advantages  they  are  not  allowed  to  enjoy  until  the  fol- 
lowing September,  the  use  of  the  club  being  restricted 
to  upperclassmen.  Under  a  new  system  which  has  just 
gone  into  operation  the  elections  are  governed  by  a  com- 
mittee of  eight  undergraduate  club  members  and  one 
member  of  the  faculty.  The  period  of  "  bickering  "—a 
term  whose  official  interpretation  is  "  any  talk,  argu- 
ment, or  discussion  designed  to  induce  any  man  to  join 
any  club  " — beginc  on  February  twenty-third  and  lasts 
a  short  time.  On  or  after  this  date  a  club  may  select 
one  or  more  sophomores  to  form  a  "  section,"  that  is, 
the  next  junior  group.  Each  section  when  complete  con- 
tains between  fifteen  and  twenty  men,  although  no  limit 
is  placed  on  the  number  a  club  may  elect.  Each  sopho- 
more accepting  signs  a  pledge  that  he  will  join  the  scc- 


m 


in 


m 


M 


'^mF,<;s^f  ^msmLi^^MM 


> .. 


-  ^ii- 


t  I 


390 


THE  COLLEGE  SEASONS 


tion  in  question  and  all  acceptances  are  published.    Ad- 
ditioual  membLTs  of  a  section  may  be  signed  up  only  on 
approval  of  the  club  and  of  the  sophomores  forming 
the  section.     At  the  end  of  the  bickering  period  each 
club  sends  formal  invitations  to  the  sophomores  signed 
in  each  section,  and  to  such  others  as  it  may  care  to 
invite  to  join  the  club.     A  sophomore  who  has  joined 
a  section  may  then  decline  the  formal  invitation,  but  in 
that  case  he  cannot  join  any  other  club  until  the  second 
term  of  junior  year,  or  in  other  words  until  after  the 
lapse  of  a  year.    This  provision  compels  a  sophomore  to 
respect  his  pledge  and  prevents  his  playing  fast  and 
loose  with  his  acceptance.    All  elections  cease  within  a 
week  of  the  close  of  the  bickering  period  and  no  fur- 
ther elections  are  held  until  the  beginning  of  junior  year. 
Offenses  against  this  system,  which  is  agreed  to  by  all 
the  clubs,  are  punished  by  suspension  from  the  club  for 
at  least  half  a  year  and  in  extreme  cases  by  dismissal. 
For  a  graduate  member  the  penalty  is  two  years'  suspen- 
sion from  the  club. 

Any  approach  to  an  underclassman  by  any  member  of 
a  class  above  him,  including  graduate  members,  before 
the  period  of  bickering,  is  an  offense  against  the  club 
agreement ;  and  all  penalties  are  enforced  by  the  faculty. 
At  the  end  of  the  bickering  period  this  year  seventy  per 
cent,  of  the  sophomore  class  had  been  signed  up  in  this 
way  among  the  sixteen  clubs.  The  system  is  not  ideal 
perhaps,  but  it  seems  to  be  a  distinct  advance  over 
former  conditions.  Among  the  plans  for  new  university 
buildings  asked  for  in  a  recent  report  of  the  president, 
is  one  looking  forward  to  the  erection  of  a  "  Princeton 
House  "  or  University  Club,  a  central  forum  on  the  cam- 
pus for  all  members  of  the  academic  family,  under- 
graduates, graduates,  faculty,   and  alumni  alike.     By 


'WKfM 


't'?,' 


ii-' 


COST 


391 


means  of  its  offices  for  all  undergraduate  aetivitics,  its 
reading  rooms,  its  lounges,  its  dining-room,  and  its  largo 
assembly  room,  such  a  building  would  afford  convenient 
opportunity  for  general  intercourse  and  conference, 
would  satisfy  certain  social  demands  of  the  preceptorial 
method  at  present  almost  impossible  of  realization,  would 
go  far  to  make  good  the  shortcomings  of  the  upperclass 
club  system,  and  would  tend  to  conserve  the  solidarity 
and  democracy  of  Princeton  life. 

At  the  risk  of  incurring  the  criticism  which  Mr.  Samuel 
Blair  in  1764  sought  to  disarm  in  his  "  Account  of 
the  College  of  New  Jersey,"  when  he  confessed  that 
under  ordinary  circumstances  a  description  of  the  domes- 
tic economy  of  the  College  would  make  "  low  and  vul- 
gar ' '  reading,  it  seems  as  though  a  word  might  properly 
be  said  at  this  point  about  the  expense  of  a  college  year 
at  Princeton  for  a  student  rooming  in  a  dormitory.  The 
university  catalogue  announces  that  the  estimated  aver- 
age minimum  is  four  hundred  dollars  and  the  average 
medium  is  five  hundred  and  forty-nine  dollars,  which 
sums  include  room  rent,  board,  heat,  light,  washing, 
tuition,  and  other  university  fees.  Statistics  compiled 
from  the  actual  payments  of  thirteen  hundred  under- 
graduates in  1913  show  that  for  the  above  items  eight 
men  spent  less  than  one  hundred  dollars,  forty-six  spent 
between  one  hundred  and  two  hundred  dollars,  seventy- 
six  between  two  hundred  and  three  hundred  dollars, 
ninety-five  between  three  hundred  and  four  hundred  dol- 
lars, and  one  hundred  and  forty-one  between  four  hun- 
dred and  five  hundred  dollars,  or  that  the  university  bills 
of  three  hundred  and  sixty-six  men  (over  twenty-eight 
per  cent,  of  the  total)  for  the  items  referred  to  were 
under  five  hundred  dollars.  The  corresponding  expendi- 
ture of  five  hundred  and  seven  (thirty  iiine  per  cent.) 


i  hf 


■J  1 


}92 


THE  COLLEGE  SEASONS 


m 


'  ■ } 


was  between  five  hundred  and  six  hundred  dollars.    So 
that  the  necessary  expenditure  of  over  sixty-seven  per 
cent,  of  the  undergraduate  body  was  considerably  under 
six  hundred  dollars.     On  the  other  hand,  four  hundred 
and  forty-two  (over  thirty-two  per  cent.)  spent  between 
six  hundred  and  eight  hundred  dollars,  and  a  handful,  or 
exactly  five,  spent  between  eight  hundred  and  nine  hun- 
dred dollars.     These  statistics  prove  nothing  save  that 
a  man's  necessary  expenses  at  Princeton  are,  as  they  are 
everywhere,   dependent  very   largely  on  himself.     Offi- 
cially aljout  thirteen  per  cent,  of  the  undergraduate  body 
are  receiving  financial  assistance  through  scholarships 
and  remissioii  of  tuition,  but  there  are  no  data  obtain- 
able of  the  large  number  who  are  earning  outside  of 
official  channels  a  part  of  their  expenses.     The  fact  is, 
however,  well  known  to  those  who  have  taken  the  trouble 
to  inquire ;  and  what  is  more  important  it  makes  abso- 
lutely no  difference  in  a  man's  standing  on  the  campus 
to  have  it  known  that  he  is  helping  to  pay  his  own  bills ; 
men  are  judged  by  what  they  are  and  not  by  what  they 
have.    The  records  of  the  Bureau  of  Student  Self-Help 
show  that  the  large  majority  of  men  on  its  rolls  are  fresh- 
men and  sophomores,  indicating  that  ordinarily  by  the 
time  a  man  becomes  a  junior  or  senior  he  has  so  "  learned 
the  ropes      he  does  not  have  to  depend  on  the  guidance 
of  an  organization  in  working  his  way. 

Of  the  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  men  actually  enrolled 
in  the  Bureau  in  1913,  forty-four  had  one  hundred  dol- 
lars or  less  (six  had  nothing)  and  forty  had  between  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  and  two  hundred  dollars  to  see 
them  through  college.  Employment  was  found  for  them 
and  no  student  was  compelled  to  discontinue  his  college 
course  on  account  of  lack  of  funds.  This  does  not  mean 
that  Princeton  is  a  Mecca  for  needy  students.    There  ean- 


y':K 


STUDENT  SELF-AID 


31)3 


not  be  so  great  an  opportunity  to  find  employment  in  a 
small  town  as  in  a  city ;  but,  given  health,  brains,  and 
energy,  and  if  possible  enough  funds  to  sec  him  well 
through  his  freshman  year,  a  student  requiring  financial 
assistance  has  a  good  chance  of  earning  it  at  Princeton. 
The  variety  of  work  done  ranges  from  the  customary  lines 
of  college  employment  such  as  tutoring,  stenography, 
newspaper  work,  and  selling  agencies  for  various  articles, 
to  acting  as  ushers  and  gatemen  at  the  University  Field, 
library  work,  bookkeeping,  gardening,  work  on  the  Col- 
lege farm,  and  the  managersliip  of  concerns  like  the 
Students'  Clothes  Pressing  Establishment,  Students'  Ex- 
press, and  the  Shoe  Shining  Parlor.  Board  is  the  most 
expensive  item  in  a  man's  bill;  but  although  the  dining 
halls  are  operated  at  cost,  the  University  making  no 
profit  whatsoever,  provision  is  made  at  the  dining  halls 
for  those  men  who  cannot  afTord  to  pay  the  full  price — 
six  dollars  per  week.  If  a  student  can  satisfy  the  under- 
graduate Dining  Halls  Committee  that  he  must  have  a 
reduction,  it  will  be  granted  to  him.  About  ninety 
men  are  receiving  reductions  from  one  dollar  and 
seventy-five  cents  to  five  dollars  a  week  and  in  return 
they  perform  such  work  as  is  assigned,  consisting  of 
clerical  and  executive  duties,  news  stand  and  tobacco 
service,  etc.    No  students  wait  on  tables. 

As  for  the  University's  side  of  the  ledger,  it  may  be 
noticed  that  during  the  past  five  years  the  annual  average 
cost  to  the  University  for  educating  an  undergraduate 
has  been  three  hundred  and  thirty-one  dollars  and  fifty 
cents.  That  is  to  say,  the  University  disburses  annually 
per  student  three  hundred  and  thirty-one  dollars  and 
fifty  cents  more  than  it  receives  from  him  through  his 
university  bills. 

The  democracy  of  campus  life  finds  f\irther  echo  in 


hi 


4i  ; 


'itL^mtt. 


394 


THE  COLLEGE  SEASONS 


M- 


^!R 


'Wr'f 


'  I 


many  minor  ways.    A  recent  careful  count  in  Princeton 
garages  revealed  the  fact  that  just  six  automobiles  be- 
longing to  undergraduates  were  housed  there.    The  cur- 
riculum with  its  preliminary  year  of  an  almost  entirely 
re(iuired  eourse  of  study,  the  uniformity  of  dress  worn 
by  freshmen,  the  disputed  "  horsing  "  rules  themselves 
are  democratic  in   effect.     The  dining  halls  at  which 
freshmen  and  sophomores  eat  are  democratic,  meals  be- 
ing served  at  small  tables  in  continuous  suites  of  adjoin- 
ing rooms  which  open  into  one  another  and  have  no 
interposing  doors.    The  quarters  occupied  by  the  dining 
halls  are  temporary  and  plans  are  already  drawn  for  the 
erection  of  a  more  convenient  and  attractive  building 
which  will  enable  the  authorities  to  carry  out  still  more 
satisfactorily  the  general  underlying  principles  of  the 
dining  halls  system.     Preceptorial  conferences  are  an- 
other social  leveling  process.     Nothing  could  be  more 
Spartan   in   simplicity   than   the   conference   rooms  of 
McCosh  Hall.    :Many  of  the  faculty  hold  their  confer- 
ences in  their  private  studies.     Although  congeniality 
is  not  ignored,  since  the  spirit  of  a  conference  is  natu- 
rally colored  by  the  friendliness  of  its  members,  never- 
theless   the    chief    basis    governing    the    formation    of 
preceptorial  groups   is  necessarily  that  of  intellectual 
caliber.    This  is  particularly  true  of  honors  men.    The 
whole  spirit  of  the  preceptorial  method  has  been,  and  is, 
toward  abolition  of  the  barriers  between  faculty  and 
students.     There  are  members  of  the  faculty  who  look 
with  disfavor  on  this  tendency,  just  as  there  are  students 
who  do  not  care  to  know  their  instructors  any  more 
intimately  than  they  have  to.    But  such  men  are  in  the 
minority.    Faculty  association  with  students  is  carried 
unavoidably  into  extra-curriculum  activities.    Members 
of  the  faculty  are  advisory  members  of  the  Senior  Coun- 


<.-lF7: 


[■r- 


^ 


'f*'^     r.>^y 


SPRING  TERM 


395 


cil;  they  arc  called  into  constant  and  frank  consultation 
by  the  college  literary,  religious,  dramatic,  and  other 
organizations.  In  fact,  here  again  critics  assert  that  this 
tendency  toward  familiar  relationship  is  carried  too  far. 
But  these  things  are  illustrative  of  the  communal  inter- 
est that  welds  the  cami)us  society  into  one — due,  not  to 
any  set  purpose,  but  to  the  conditions  of  residence,  and 
the  daily  associations  and  interlockings  of  a  life  led 
within  more  or  less  restricted  bounds. 

With  the  senior  parade  on  the  afternoon  of  St.  Pat- 
rick's Day,  spring  is  formally  ushered  in.    This  parade, 
which  lids  no  reason  for  existence  and  like  "  poler's 
recess  "  is  only  one  of  the  interesting  contrasts  between 
the  serious  and  the  frivolous  elements  of  campus  exist- 
ence, has  come  to  be  an  annual  affair,  and  with  its  motley 
array  of  floats  and  transparencies  is  the  opportunity 
for  skits  and  satires  on  current  events,  in  and  out  of  the 
college  world.     It  has  taken  the   place  of  the   senior 
parade  at  the  freshman-sophomore  baseball  game.     Set 
in  the  country-  as  Princeton  is,  the  spring  term  neces- 
sarily is  the  pleasantest.     Long  before  i 'otter's  Woods 
show  green  or  the  poplars  marking  the  canal  tow-path 
come  to  life  and  color  again,  the  crews  get  out  on  Lake 
Carnegie.     Soon  canoes  appear  from  the  old  boathouse 
on  the  canal  and  explore  the  portages  leading  to  the 
upper  reaches  of  Stony  Brook  and  the  Millstone.    The 
campus  is  surveyed  once  more  by  the  civil  engineering 
squads  who  pray  aloud  for  the  warm  sunny  afternoons 
on  which  they  may  loiter  in  the  soft  meadows  of  Laughlin 
Field  and  Olden  Farm.    The  soccer  team  comes  out  of 
winter  quarters;  cross-country  runners  are  to  be  seen 
threading  their  way  along  the  roads  and  through  the 
fields  around  Princeton,  the  Caledonian  games,  dual  track 
and  tennis  meets,  intersoholastic  meets,  and  preparation 


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TIIK  COLLEGE  SEASONS 


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for  the  interc.)lU'«,'iatcs  keep  University  Field  occupied 
every  afternoon,    licsides  the  forty  or  fifty  minor  nines 
playing  off  all  sorts  of  schedules,  there  is  varsity  baseball 
every  Wednesday  and  Saturday.    The  University  is  not 
sufferinj,'  from  any  athletic  craze ;  it  is  simply  recognized 
that  some  form  of  exercise  other  than  walking  to  a  meal 
and  back  is  a  good  thing  and  is  also  good  fun,  especially 
as  it  can  be  topped  off  with  a  plunge  in  Brokaw  tank, 
or  with  a  shower  in  one's  own  dormitory.    Intramural 
atliletie  competitions,  arranged  by  a  students'  committee 
and  under  the  general  supervision  of  the  Department 
0     Hygiene  and  Physical  Education,  arc  systematizing 
this  daily  outdoor  life  and  giving  it  direction  and  pur- 
pose, with  the  result  that  there  is  far  less  of  the  old- 
time  "  loafing,"  and  far  more  of  a  vigorous  healthy 
physical  activity,  the  counterpart  of  the  newer  attitude 
toward  strictly  scholastic  duties. 

AVhen   the   spring   evenings   have   grown   warm   the 
seniors  sing  on  the  steps  of  Nassau  Hall,  the  audience 
extending  in  a  wide  semicircle  under  the  trees.    Senior 
singing  originally  was  not  supposed  to  be  for  the  delecta- 
tion of  the  general  public— if  the  public  loitered  to  listen 
that  was  the  public's  privilege.    Applause  was  frowned 
upon.    Nowadays  there  is  less  spontaneity,  and  for  some 
time  before  the  warm  evenings  come  the  singing  is  re- 
hearsed in  Murray-Dodge,  that  ever-willing  auditorium 
of  worthy  causes.    By  the  time  the  class  has  been  drilled 
into  some  sort  of  harmonious  effort,  the  college  carpen- 
ters have  produced  a  new  set  of  campus  benches  which 
are  kept  in  serried  ranks  at  the  foot  of  the  steps  for 
senior  use.     The  scene  at  senior  singing  is  a  haunting 
one.    It  appears  to  depend  for  its  universal  appeal  on 
the  mood  of  the  hour,  the  mystery  of  the  massive  silent 
building  against  which  it  is  set,  the  dimness  of  the  light 


COMMENCEMENT 


397 


under  the  trees  beneath  whieh  the  setnieircle  gathers. 
The  audience  is  felt  rather  than  seen  and  it  is  only  when 
everyone  rises  at  "  Old  Nassau  "  and  a  forest  of  waving 
hands  and  hats  marks  the  beat  of  the  chorus  that  one 
realizes  how  large  that  audience  is. 

On  crowded  eoniniencement  evenings,  which  are  by 
no  means  the  most  typical,  the  street  is  lined  with  auto- 
mobiles, the  trees  are  festooned  with  Chinese  lanterns, 
and  the  campus  is  packed  with  humanity.    Commence- 
ment   festivities    begin    with   the   Yale   baseball   game, 
which,  thanks  to  the  returning  classes,  has  become  a 
riot  of  bands  and  costumes  and  color.     Class  reunions 
in  the  modern  sense  of  the  word  date  from  1898,  and  the 
commencement  costuming  of  the  younger  classes  is  an 
"  old  custom  "  of  still  more  recent  introduction.     On 
the  morning  of  commencement  Sunday  the  baccalaureate 
sermon  is  preached  in  Alexander  Hall  to  the  graduating 
class  by  the  president  of  the  University.     In  the  after- 
noon, returning  classes  hold  their  memorial  sen'ices  in 
Marquand  Chapel,  and  in  the  evening  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  Philadelphian  Society  takes  place.    Monday 
is  Class  Day.    The  Class  Poem  and  Oration  are  listened 
to  in  Alexander  Hall ;  the  Ivy  Oration  is  delivered  on  the 
steps  of  Nassau  Ilall  and  the  class  ivy  is  planted.    At 
noon  the  annual  alumni  meetings  of  the  Cliosophie  and 
American  Whig  Societies  are  held,  and  the  afternoon  is 
given  over  to  the  Cannon  Exercises,  a  rite  dating  back 
over  half  a  century  and  staged  in  an  amphitheater  tem- 
porarily erected  around  the  big  cannon.    The  ceremony 
ends  with  the  shower  of  churchwarden  class  pipes  on  the 
cannon.    The  next  day  is  Commencement  Day,  when  the 
exercises  in  Alexander  Hall  begin  with  the  Latin  Salu- 
tatory, one  of  the  two  surA'ivors  of  the  formidable  list 
of  orations   which  used  to  grace   commencement   pro- 


4 


ij 


ill 


11 


398 


THE  COLLEGE  SEASONS 


•Ti:-- 


te'« 


1>1  i 


!    ! 


prammos  and  be  the  joy  of  the  audience  and  the  pride  of 
fond    parents.     In    these    unregcnerate    days    printed 
copies  of  the  Latin  Salutatory  arc  distributed  to  the 
audience,  witli  the  places  clearly  marked  where  applause 
should  properly  occur.    Announcements  of  prizes  are  then 
made,  the  degrees  are  conferred,  and  after  the  Valedic- 
tory—the other  survi%-ing  oration— the  programme  ends 
with  "  Old  Na.ssau,"  the  audience  remaining  standing 
while  the  academic  procession  marches  out.    Then  comes 
the  Alumni  Luncheon  in  the  g>'mnasium,  with  speeches 
by  representatives  of  the  ten-year  classes,  followed  later 
in  the  afterroon  by  the  annual  reception  at  Prospect. 
The  melodraiaatic  loving-cup  exercises  in  front  of  Nassau 
Hall,  after  senior  singing  that  night,  bring  the  week  to 
a  close.     The  seniors  formally  hand  the  steps  over  to 
the  juniors  and  file  off  to  their  class  supper;  and  the 
night  ends  with  a  bonfire  of  the  senior  singing  benches. 
The  next  day  witnesses  the  exodus. 

And  if,  in  conclusion,  one  asks  what  it  is  that  men 
carry  away  from  their  brief  life  together  here,  the  an- 
swer might  be  summed  up  in  one  word,  imagination. 
The  history  and  traditions  of  the  place,  the  freedom  and 
frankness  of  its  life  and  customs,  the  unutilitarian  kind 
and  method  of  its  learning,  and,  not  least,  the  natural 
beauty  of  its  environment— these,  if  men  have  not  been 
too  blind  to  see,  or  too  dull  to  understand,  subtly  take  and 
keep  possession  of  the  imagination,  are  a  stimulus  to  finer 
things,  energize  life  into  service,  and  withal  in  the 
pauses  of  the  work-a-day  world  send  men's  thoughts  and 
homage  casting  back  to  Nassau  Hall  and  the  old  scenes. 


'.  k,^,iaMWlA  . 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX    I 

ClIABTEB  or  THE  TBL'STEES  OK  THE  COLLEOE  OF  NEW  JERSEY  ' 

George  the  Second,  by  the  grace  of  God,  of  Great  Britain, 
France  and  Ireland,  King,  Defender  of  the  Faitli,  etc.,  U>  uU  to 
wliom  these  presents  shall  come,  greeting — 

Whereas    sundry   of   our   loving    subjects,   well-disposed    and 
public-spirited    persons,    have   lately,    by    their   humble    petition, 
presented    to    our    trusty    and    well-beloved    Jonathan    Belcher, 
Esquire.  Governor   and   Commander   in  Chief  of  our   province   of 
Newr  Jersey  in  America,  represented  the  great  necessity  of  coming 
into  some  method  for  encouraging  and  promoting  a  learned  educa- 
tion of  our  youth  in  New  Jersey,  and  have  expressed  their  earnest 
desire  that  a  college  may  be  erected  in  our  said  province  of  New 
Jersey  in  America,  for  the  benefit  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  said 
province  and  others,  wherein  youth  may  be  instructed  in  tl>e  learned 
languages,  and  in  the  liberal  arts  and  sciences.     And  whereas 
by  the  fundamental  concessions  made  at  the  first  settlement  of 
New  Jersey  by  the  Lord  Berkley  and  Sir  George  Carteret,  then 
proprietors  thereof,  and  granted  under  their  hands  and  the  seal 
of  the  said  province,  bearing  date  the  U'nth  day  of  February,  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  sixty-four,  it 
was,  among  other  things,  conceded  and  agreed,  that  no  freeman, 
within  the  said  province  of  New  Jersey,  should  at  any  time  be 
molested,  punished,  disquieted  or  called  in  question,  for  any  dif- 
ference in  opinion  or  practice   in   matters  of  religious  concern- 
ment, who  do  not  actually   disturb   the  civil   peace   of   the   said 
province;  but  that  all  and  every  such  person  or  persons  might, 
from  time  to  time,  and  at  all  times  thereaff.er,  freely  and  fully 
have   and   enjoy    his   and    their    judgnnnts   and   consciences,    in 
matters  of  religion,  throughout  the  said  province,  tliey  behaving 
■  Corporate  title  changed  to  "  The  Trustees  of  Princeton  Uni- 
versitv,"  October  -2,  iS96. 

399 


i!f 


sf 


.lit. 


400 


AIM'KNDIX 


1 

%^ 

1  > 

/ 

1 

'4  :: 

1      1  ■ 

l,< 

'f  r  ■ 

M^      K 


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^11 


tlH-m^oIvca  prnn'nl)ly  niul  qiiiftly  iind  in  t  usitiR  flii-<  lihorty  to 
licpntiousnoMs,  nor  to  the  civil  injury  or  oiitwitnl  cliMinbunci-  of 
othiTs,  HH  by  tin-  snid  conc»'snion»  on  rocnrd  in  tlic  S.cretary'i» 
oflicp  of  New  Jorsey,  at  IVrtli  AniJK)y,  in  lib.  .3,  folio  (Ifi.  etc., 
may  appear.  Wiikrefore  and  for  that  tbf  said  ixtitioncr  have 
alHO  expressed  tlieir  earnest  desire  that  those  of  every  religious 
denomination  may  have  free  and  ••qiial  liberty  nn.l  advantiiges  nf 
education  in  the  ■^aid  eolUge,  any  dilTennt  miiUments  in  religion 
notwithstanding.  We  being  willing  to  grant  the  reasonable  re- 
questa  and  prayers  of  ill  our  loving  subjietn,  and  to  promote 
a  liberal  and  learned  education  among  tluin — 

Know  ye  tiierekohe.  that  we,  eonsidrring  tlie  premises,  and 
being  willing  for  the  future  that  the  best  nu-ans  of  education  be 
established  in  our  srid  province  of  New  .li  r>' y,  for  the  benefit 
and  advantage  of  the  inhabitants  of  our  said  province  and  others, 
do,  of  our  special  grace,  certain  knowledge  and  mere  motion,  by 
these  presents,  will,  ordain,  grant,  and  constitute-,  that  there  be 
a  college  erected  in  our  said  province  of  New  Jersey,  for  the 
education  of  youth  in  the  learned  languages  and  in  the  liberal 
arts  and  sciences;  '  and  that  the  trustees  of  the  said  college  and 
their  successors  for  ever,  may  and  shall  l>e  one  botly  corporate 
and  politic,  in  deed,  action  and  name,  and  shall  In;  called,  and 
named  and  distinguished,  by  the  name  of  The  Tbusteeh  of  the 
COLLEOE  OF  New  Jebsev;  '  and  further,  we  have  willed,  given, 
granted,  constituted,  and  appointed,  and  by  this  our  present 
charter,  of  our  special  grace,  certain  knowledge,  and  mere  motion, 
wc  do,  for  us,  our  heirs  and  su(res-<ors,  will,  give,  grant,  consti- 
tute, and  ordain,  that  there  shall,  in  the  said  college,  from 
henceforth  for  ever,  be  a  body  politic,  consisting  of  Trustees  of 
the  said  College  of  New  Jersey.  And,  for  the  more  full  and 
perfect  erection  of  the  said  corporation  and  body  politic  consisting 
of  Trustees  of  the  College  of  New  .Iirsey,  we,  of  our  special  grace, 
certain  knowledge,  and  mere  motion,  do,  by  these  presents,  for  us, 
our  heirs  and  successors,  create,  make,  ordain,  constitute,  nom- 
inate, and  appoint,  the  (Sovernor  and  Commander  in  Chief  of 
our  said  province  of  New  Jersey,  for  the  time  being,  and  also  our 
trusty  and  well-beloved  John  Reading,  James  Hudo,  Andrew 
Johnston,  Thomas  Leonard,  John   Kinsey,   Edward  Shippen  and 

•  Extended  by  Act  of  Ijcgislature,  March  11,  1864. 
'Corporate  title  ehunged  (see  ante). 


-  '  I?  <f 


APPENDIX 


401 


William  Smith,  E^tquircH.  lVt<T  Van  Hrucli  Livinpnlon,  William 
Ft«rtn'e  Smith,  ttiid  Siinnnl  Hii/ard.  ff.iitlniicn,  .IdIhi  Picrson, 
Klx-m-zer  IVmlMTton,  Joseph  Laml).  (JillM-rt  TiiiUfnt,  William  Ti'n- 
iK'iit,  Richard  Tii'iit,  S.imuil  Hlair,  David  Cowtll,  Aiinm  Hurr, 
'I'imothy  Join  ■<,  Thomas  Arthur,  and  .lacob  (irctn,  ministers  of 
thi-  f.'ospel.  to  bt-  TruHtf«'»  of  tht'  said  ColU-gu  of  New  .Ftrsey. 

[That  th»"  said  TruntHM  do,  at  their  first  nifi-ting,  after  the 
rwvipt  of  thoHi'  presents,  and  hifon-  they  proceed  to  any  buiiness, 
take  the  oath  appointed  to  l»e  taken  by  an  act,  passed  in  the 
first  year  of  the  reifn»  of  the  late  King  George  the  First,  entitled, 
"  An  act  for  the  further  security  of  his  Majesty's  person  and 
government,  and  the  succession  of  tiie  crown  in  the  heirs  of  the 
late  princess  Sophia,  being  protestants,  and  for  extinguishing  the 
hopes  of  the  pretended  prince  of  Wales,  and  his  open  and  secret 
abettors";  as  also  that  they  make  and  subscribe  the  declarations 
mentioned  in  an  act  of  parliament,  made  in  the  twenty-fifth  year 
of  the  reign  of  King  Charles  the  Second,  entitled,  "  An  act  for 
preventing  dangers  which  may  happen  from  popish  recusants"; 
and  likewise  take  an  oath  for  faithfully  executing  the  office  or 
trust  reposed  in  them,  the  said  oaths  to  be  administered  to  them 
by  three  of  his  Majesty's  justices  of  the  peace,  quorum  unus;  and 
when  any  new  member  or  olFicer  of  this  corporation  is  chosen, 
they  are  to  take  and  subscribe  the  aforementioned  oaths  and 
declarations  before  their  admission  into  their  trusts  or  offices, 
the  same  to  be  administered  to  them  in  the  presence  of  the 
Trustees,  by  such  person  as  they  shall  appoint  for  that  service.)  * 

That  no  meeting  of  the  Trustees  shall  be  valid  or  legal  for 
doing  any  business  whatsoever,  unless  the  clerk  has  duly  and 
legally  notified  eacli  and  every  member  of  the  corporation  of 
such  meeting;  and  that  before  entering  on  any  business,  the  clerk 
shall  certify  such  notification  under  his  hand,  to  the  Board  of 
Trustees. 

That  the  said  Trustees  have  full  power  and  authority  or  any 
thirteen '  or  greater  number  of  them,  to  elect,  nominate,  and 
appoint,   and   associate  unto   them,   any   number   of   persons   as 

*  The  entire  paragraph  relative  to  oaths  repealed  and  supplied 
by  Act  of  March  13,  17S0;  and  further  amended  by  Act  of 
March  29,  1800. 

''  Altered  to  nine,  provided  tliat  the  governor  of  the  State,  or 
the  president  of  tlie  I'niversity,  or  the  senior  trustee,  be  one  of 
the  nine;  bv  the  Act  of  Nov.  2.  1781, 


Rf 


:^^. 


402 


APPENDIX 


Mi.'.i- 


'   . 


I  \ 


M^  J.;  - 

I,  yl;. 


Trustees  upon  any  vacancy,  so       '  whole  number  of  Trustees 

exceed  not  twenty-three  '  \vhi>reof  the  I'resideiit  of  the  said  college 
for  the  time  beiii<?,  to  bo  cliosen  as  hereafter  mentioned,  to  be 
one,  and  twelve  of  the  said  Trustees  to  be  always  such  persons 
as  are  inhabitants  of  our  said  province  of  New  Jersey.  And  we 
do  further,  of  our  special  grace,  certain  knowledge,  and  mere 
motion,  for  us.  our  heirs  and  successors,  will,  give,  grant,  and 
appoint,  that  the  said  Trustees  and  their  successors  shall,  for 
ever  hereafter,  be  in  deed,  fact  and  name,  a  body  corporate  and 
politic;  and  that  they,  tlie  said  body  corporate  and  politic,  shall 
be  known  and  distinguislied  in  all  deeds,  grants,  bargains,  sales, 
writings,  evidences,  muniments,  or  otherwise  howsoever,  and  in 
all  courts  for  ever  hereafter,  plead  and  be  impleaded,  by  the 
name  of  The  Trustees  of  the  Colleoe  of  Xew  Jersey.* 

And  that  they,  the  said  corporation,  by  the  name  aforesaid, 
shall  be  able,  and  in  law  capable,  for  the  use  of  the  said  college, 
to  have,  get,  acquire,  purchase,  receive  and  possess  lands,  tene- 
ments, hereditaments,  jurisdictions,  and  franchises,  for  them- 
selves and  their  successors,  in  fee  simple  or  otherwise  howsoever; 
and  to  purchase,  receive  or  build,  any  house  or  houses,  or  any 
other  buildings,  as  they  shall  think  needful  or  convenient  for  the 
use  of  the  said  College  of  New  Jersey,  and  in  such  place  or  places 
in  New  Jersey,  as  they,  the  said  Trustees,  shall  agree  upon,  and 
also  to  receive  and  dispose  of  any  goods,  chattels,  and  other  things 
of  what  nature  soever,  for  the  use  aforesaid:  and  also  to  have, 
accept  and  receive,  any  rents,  profits,  annuities,  gifts,  legacies, 
donations  and  bequests,  of  any  kind  whatsoever,  for  the  use  afore- 
said, so,  nevertheless,  that  the  yearly  clear  value  of  the  premises 
do  not  exceed  the  sum  of  two  thousand  pounds  sterling.*  And 
therewith  or  otherwise  to  support  and  pay,  (as  the  said  Trustees 
and  their  successors,  or  the  major  part  of  such  of  them  as 
[according  to  the  provision  herein  afterwards]  are  regularly  con- 
vened for  that  purpose,  shall  agree  and  see  cause,)  the  President, 
tutors,  and  other  officers  or  ministers  of  the  said  college,  their 
respective  annual  salaries  or  allowances,  and  all  such  other 
necessary  and  contingent  charges  as  from  time  to  time  shall 
arise  and  accrue,  relating  to  the  said  college;  and  also  to  grant, 

'  Altered  to  twenty-seven  by  the  Act  of  April  6,  1868. 
'Corporate  title  changed  (see  ante). 
'  Amount  changed. 


^»'^i.'-'>vA'^i'''^Cf 


.^^RM' 


APPENDIX 


403 


bargain,  sell,  let,  set  or  assign,  lands,  tenements  or  heredita- 
ments, goods  or  chattels,  contract  or  do  all  other  things  what- 
soever, by  the  name  aforesaid,  and  for  the  use  aforesaid,  in  as 
full  and  ample  manner,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  as  any  natural 
person  or  other  body  politic  or  corporate  is  able  to  do,  by  the 
laws  of  our  realm  of  Great  Britain,  or  of  our  said  province  of 
New  Jersey. 

And  to  our  further  grace,  certain  knowledge  and  mere  motion, 
to  the  intent  that  our  said  corporation  and  body  politic  may 
answer  the  end  of  their  erection  and  constitution,  and  may  have 
perpetual  succession  and  continue  forever,  We  do  for  us,  our  heirs 
and  successors,  hereby  will,  give,  and  grant,  unto  the  said 
Trustees  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  and  to  their  successors 
forever,  that  when  any  thirteen  '  of  the  said  Trustees,  or  of  their 
successors,  are  convened  and  met  together  as  aforesaid,  for  the 
service  of  the  said  college,  the  Governor  and  Commander  in 
Chief  of  our  said  province  of  New  Jersey,  and  in  his  absence, 
the  President  of  the  said  college,  and  in  the  absence  of  the  said 
Governor  and  President,  the  eldest  Trustee  present  at  such  meet- 
ing, from  time  to  time,  shall  be  President  of  the  said  Trustees 
in  all  their  meetings:  and  at  any  time  or  times  such  thirteen^ 
Trustt  onvened  and  met  as  aforesaid,  shall  be  capable  to  act  as 
fully  a.iu  amply,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  as  if  all  the 
Trustees  of  the  sai  '  college  were  personally  present;  provided 
always,  that  a  majority  of  the  said  thirteen '  Trustees  be  of  the 
said  province  of  New  Jersey,  except  after  regular  notice  they  fail 
of  coming,  in  which  case  those  that  are  present  are  hereby  em- 
powered to  act,  the  dilTerent  place  of  their  abode  notwithstanding; 
and  all  affairs  and  actions  whatsoever,  under  the  care  of  the 
said  Trustees,  shall  be  determined  by  the  majority  or  greater 
number  of  those  thirteen '  so  convened  and  met  together,  the 
President  whereof  shall  have  no  more  than  a  single  vote. 

And  we  do  for  us,  our  heirs  and  successors,  hereby  will,  give 
and  grant  full  power  and  authority,  to  any  six  or  more  of  the 
said  Trustees,  to  call  meetings  of  the  said  Trustees,  from  time 
to  time,  and  to  order  notice  to  the  said  Trustees  of  the  times  and 
places  of  meeting  for  the  service  aforesaid. 

And  also  wc  do  hereby  for  us,  our  heirs  and  successors,  will, 
give  and  grant  to  the  said  Trustees  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey, 

'  Or  nine  (see  ante). 


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ii;  .1^ 


\ 


404 


APPENDIX 


and  to  their  successor,  for  ever,  tluit  the  said  Trustees  do  elect, 
nominate  and  appoin^   such   a  qualified   person   as  they,  or  the 
major  part  of  any  ihirtccn^  of  them  convened  for  that  purpose 
as  above  directed,  shall  think  fit,  to  be  the  President  of  the  sa.d 
college,  and  to  have  the  immediate  care  of  the  education  and  gov- 
ernment of  such  students  as  shall  be  sent  to,  and  admitted  into 
the  said  college,   for  instruction  and   education;    and  also   that 
the  said  Trustees  do  elect,  nominate  and  appoint  so  many  tutors 
and  professors,  to  assist  the  President  of  the  said  College,  in  the 
education   and  government   of   the   students  belongmg  to  it,   as 
they    the  said  Trustees,  or  their  successors,  or  the  major   part 
of  any  thirteen '  of  them,  which  shall  convene  for  that  purpose 
as  above  directed,   shall,   from   time  to  time,  and  at  any  time 
hereafter,  thinic  needful  and  serviceable  to  the  interests  of  the  said 
college-  and  also,  that  the  said  Trustees  and  their  successors,  or 
the  major  part  of  any  thirteen '   of  them,  which  shall  convene 
for  that  purpose,  as  above  directed,  shall  at  any  time  displace 
and  discharge  from  the  service  of  the  said  college  such  President, 
tutors  and  professors,  and  to  elect  others  in  their  room  and  st^ad; 
and  also,  that  the  said  Trustees  or  their  successors,  or  the  major 
part  of   any   thirteen'    of   them,  which  shall   convene    for   that 
purpose,  as  above  directed,  do  from   time  to  time,   as  occasion 
shall  require,  elect,  constitute,  and  appoint  a  treasurer,  a  clerk, 
an  usher,   and  a  steward,   for  the  said  college,  and  appoint  to 
them   and  each  of  them,  their  respective  business  and  trusts,  and 
displace  and  discharge  from  the  service  of  the  said  college  such 
treasurer,  clerk,  usher,  or  steward,  and  to  elect  others  in  their 
room  and  stead;   which  President,  tutors,  professors,  treasurer, 
clerk,  usher,  and  steward,  so  elected  and  appointed,  we  do  for 
us,  o'ur  heirs   and   successors,  by  these  presents  constitute   and 
establish  in  their  several  offices,  and  do  give  them,  and  every  of 
them,  full  power  and  authority  to  exercise  the  same  in  the  said 
College  of  New  Jersey,  according  to  the  direction,  and  during  the 
pleasure  of  the  said"  Trustees,  as  fully  and  freely  as  any  other 
the  like  officers  in  our  universities  or  any  of  our  colleges  in  our 
realm  of  Great  Britain,  lawfully  may  and  ought  to  do. 

And  also  that  the  said  Trustees,  and  their  successors,  or  the 
major  part  of  any  thirteen  ■   of  them,  which  shall  convene  for 
that  purpose  as  above  directed,  as  often  as  one  or  more  of  the 
'  Or  nine  (see  amte). 


'<  \'e.i 


"i.'n-.'isv.'Tt*  "iKrav -i:.'  im^^mzm  ..:^»\- 


•j:'-:z.    K-'nvL-iiZj:     '"=jBes^:m^aAja 


APPENDIX 


405 


said  Trustees  shall  happen  to  die,  or  by  removal  or  otherwise 
shall  become  unfit  or  uncapable,  aeeording  to  tlieir  judgment,  to 
serve  the  interest  of  the  said  college,  do,  as  soon  as  convenit-ntly 
may  be  after  the  death,  removal  or  such  unfitness  or  incapacity 
of  such  Trustee  or  Trustees  to  serve  the  interest  of  the  said 
college,  elect  and  appoint  such  other  Trustee  or  Trustees  as  shall 
supply  the  place  of  him  or  them  so  dying,  or  otherwise  becoming 
unlit  or  uncapable  to  serve  the  interest  of  the  said  college;  and 
every  Trustee  so  elected  and  ai)pointed  shall,  by  virtue  of  these 
presents,  and  of  such  election  and  appointment,  be  vested  with 
all  the  power  and  privileges  which  any  of  the  other  Trustees  of 
the  said  college  are  hereby  invested  with. 

And  we  do   further,  of  our   special  grace,   certain  knowledge 
and  mere  motion,  will,  give  and  grant,  and  by  +hese  presents  do, 
for  us,  our  heirs  and  successors,  will,  give  and  grant  unto  the 
said  Trustees  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  that  they  and  their 
successors,  or  the  major  part  of  any  thirteen  '  of  them,  which 
shall  convene  for  that  purpose  as  above  directed,  may  make,  and 
they  are  hereby  fully  empowered  from  time  to  time,  freely  and 
lawfully  to  make  and  establish  such  ordinances,  orders  and  laws, 
as  may  tend  to  the  good  and  wholesome  government  of  the  said 
college,  and  all  the  students  and  the  several  officers  and  ministers 
thereof,  and  to  the  public  benefit  of  the  same,  not  repugnant  to 
the  laws  and  statutes  of  our  realm  of  Great  Britain,  or  of  this 
our  province  of  New  Jersey,   and  not  excluding  any  person   of 
any  religious  denomination  whatsoever  from  free  and  equal  liberty 
and  advantage  of  education,  or  from  any  of  the  liberties,  privi- 
leges, and  immunities  of  the  said  college,  on  account  of  his  or 
their   being   of    a    religious   profession    difTerent    from    the    said 
Trustees  of  the  said  college;    and  such  ordinances,  orders,   and 
laws,   which    shall   be   so   as   aforesaid   made,    we   do,    by    these 
presents,  for  us,  our  heirs  and  successors,  ratify,  allow  of.  and 
confirm,  as  good  and  effectual,  to  oblige  and  bind  all   the  said 
students  and  the  several  officers  and  ministers  of  the  said  college; 
and  we  do  hereby  authorize  and  empower   the  said  Trustees  of 
the  college,  and  the   President,  tutors,  and  professors,   by  them 
elected    and    appointed,    to    put    such    ordinances    and    laws    in 
execution  to  all  proper  intents  and  purposes. 

And  we  do  further,  of  our  especial  grace,  certiiin  knowledge, 

'  Or  nine  (see  ante). 


ii 


,/►.'!  i""- 


:'.i? 


■.*:>'  •'  ,V.  it- 


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I  i 


If  ^:1.  . 


406  APPENDIX 

nnd  mere  motion,  will,  give  and  grant  unto  the  said  Trustees 
«.f   the   Colhge  of   New   Jersey,    that,   for   the   encouragement   of 
h-arning  and  animating  the  students  of  the  said  college  to  dili- 
gence, industry,  and  a  laudable  progress  in  literature,  tha^  they 
and  their  succ'essors,  or  the  major  part  of  any  thirteen^  of  them 
convened  for  that  purpose  as  above  direct*.'d.  do,  by  the  Presment 
of  the  said  college  for  the  time  being,  or  by  any  other  -       .ted 
by  them,  give  and  grant  any  such  degree  and  degrees   «)  any 
of  the  students  of  the  said  college,  or  to  any  others  by  them 
thought  worthy  thereof,  as  are  usually  granted  in  either  of  our 
universities  or" any  other  college  in  our  realm  of  Great  Britain    ; 
and  that  they  do  sign  and  seal  diplomas  or  certificates  of  such 
graduations,  to  be  kept  by  the  graduates  as  perpetual  memorials 
or  testimonials  thereof. 

Ant'  further,  of  our  special  grace,  certain  knowledge,  and  mere 
motion,  we  do,  by  these  presents,  for  us,  our  heirs  and  successors, 
give  and  grant  unto  the  said  Trustees  of  the  College  of  New 
Jersey  and  to  their  successors,  that  they  and  their  successors 
shall  tiive  a  common  Seal,  under  which  they  may  pass  all 
diplomas,  certificates  of  degrees,  and  all  other  the  affairs  and 
business  of  and  concerning  the  said  corporation,  or  of  and  con- 
cerning the  said  College  of  New  Jersey,  which  shall  be  engraven 
in  such  form  and  with  such  inscription  as  shall  be  devised  by  the 
said  Trustees  of  the  said  college,  or  the  major  part  of  any  thir- 
teen •  of  them,  convened  for  the  service  of  the  said  college  as 

above  directed.  .  , 

And  we  do  further,  for  us,  our  heirs  and  successors,  give  and 
grant  unto  the  said  Trustees  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey  and 
their  successors,  or  the  major  part  of   any  thirteen^   of  them 
convened  for   the   service  of  the  college  as  above   directed,  full 
power  and  authority  from  time  to  time,  to  nominate  and  appoint 
all  other  inferior  ofHcers  and  ministers,  which  they  shall  think 
to  be  convenient  and  necessary  for  the  use  of  the  college,  not 
herein  particularly   named  or  mentioned,  and  which  are  accus- 
tomary  in  our  universities,  or  in  any  of  our  colleges  in  our  realm 
of  Great  Britain,  which  officers  or  ministers  we  do  hereby  em- 
power  to   execute   their   offices   or   trusts   as  fully   and  freely   as 
any  other  the  like  officers  or  ministers,  in  and  of  our  universities 

'Or  nine  (see  on ee). 

'  Extended  by   the  Act  of  March  29.  1866, 


''ms^ 


m 
'1 


APPENDIX 


407 


or  any  other  college  in  our  realm  of  Great  Britain,  lawfully  may 
or  ought  to  do. 

And  lastly,  our  express  will  and  pleasure  is,  and  we  do  by 
these  presents  for  us,  our  heirs  and  successors,  give  and  grant 
unto  the  said  Trustees  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey  and  to  their 
successors  for  ever,  that  these  our  letters  patent,  or  the  enrolment 
thereof,  shall  be  good  and  effectual  in  tlie  law,  to  all  intents  and 
purposes,  against  us,  our  heirs  and  successors,  without  any  other 
license,  grant  or  confirmation  from  us,  our  heirs  and  successors, 
hereafter  by  the  said  Trustees  to  be  had  or  obtained;  notwith- 
standing the  not  reciting  or  misreeitul,  or  not  naming  or  mis- 
naming of  the  aforesaid  offices,  franchises,  privileges,  immunities, 
or  other  the  premises,  or  any  of  them:  and  notwithstanding  a 
writ  of  ad  quod  damnum  hath  not  issued  forth  to  inquire  of  the 
premises  or  any  of  them,  before  the  ensealing  hereof;  any  statute, 
act,  ordinance  or  provision,  or  any  other  matter  or  thing  to  the 
contrary  notwithstanding;  to  have,  hold,  and  enjoy,  all  and  sin- 
gular the  privileges,  advantages,  liberties,  immunities,  and  all 
other  the  premises  herein  and  hereby  granted  and  given,  or  which 
are  meant,  mentioned,  or  intended  to  be  herein  and  hereby  given 
and  granted,  unto  them  the  said  Trustees  of  the  said  College  of 
New  Jersey,  and  to  their  successors  for  ever. 

In  Testimony  whereof  we  have  caused  these  our  letters  to  be 
made  patent,  and  the  Great  Seal  of  our  said  province  of  New 
Jersey  to  be  hereunto  affixed.  Witness  our  trusty  and  well- 
beloved  Jonathan  Belcueb,  Esquire,  Governor  and  Commander 
in  Chief  of  our  said  province  of  New  Jersey,  this  fourteenth  day 
of  September,  in  the  twenty-second  year  of  our  reign,  and  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty-eight. 

I  have  perused  and  considered  the  written  Charter  of 
incorporation,  and  find  nothing  contained  therein  in- 
consistent with  his  Majesty's  interest  or  the  honor 
of  the  Crown. 

(Signed)  J.  Wabrell,  Att.  Oen'l. 

September  the  13th,  1748. — This  Charter,  having  been  read  in 
Council,  was  consented  to  and  approved  of. 

(Signed)  Ciia.  Read,  C?.  Con. 

Let  the  Great  Seal  of  the  Province  of  New  Jersey  be  affixed  to 

this  Charter.  ,„•        .>  t  t. 

(Signed)  J.  Belcheb. 

To  the  Secretary  of  the  Province  of  New  Jersey. 


SEAL 


P 
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408 


APPENDIX 


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J  :«.a -•,y  «=  : 

5  2  1.  u  ^  i.-  =  -  >  j!  _ 

—  i.  •-  fi  o  o  i  I-  r-  .■ 
<-<;<;Jy*--*- 

■3-:=  £ 

.  *-  .  . 
:  2  :  :  :  : 

'£.*'* 
•  t-    .    ' 

:  i*  :  :  >.cj 

i     ~     £     50     iJ      C 

:  :2  ;  i  :  : 

— ,  <  S  J*,  s  s  s 

;  ■  =S  :  :j  ;  :  :  i  : 
:  :  :5  :  :.S3  :  :  ^s" 

:::«>.  ■••3  2  :  ■  -3 

...  «    .  S  f^  a  a    .3    ■  > 

3=0 B  a  ;  • 

'^  ^  d  u  e    •  s  C  ii       '^  c 
2  a  3  p  M  ■(  ».  if  SS.i*- 

'■'r  1 


w.iihui^^ 


igri— yay^    ^f^ 


APPENDIX 


409 


APPENDIX   III 
Geographical  Distribution  of  Alumni,  1914 


Alabama    42 

Alaska     5 

Arizona   10 

Arkansas 18 

California   159 

Colorado    94 

Connecticut      94 

Delaware 08 

District  of  Columbia ....  20(5 

Florida    29 

Georgia    Sti 

Idaho   15 

Illinois    433 

Indiana   116 

Iowa     79 

Kansas    26 

Kentucky    109 

Louisiana    25 

Maine     9 

Maryland    138 

Massachusetts    184 

Michigan   09 

Minnesota  90 

^Mississippi    35 

Missouri    205 

^Montana    22 

Nebraska 38 


Nevada    5 

New  Hampshire    14 

New   Jersey    1,583 

New  Mexico   15 

New  York  2,180 

North  Carolina   46 

North  Dakota    9 

Ohio   313 

Oklahoma    9 

Oregon     46 

Pennsylvania    1,969 

Rhode*  Island   23 

South  Carolina    41 

South  Dakota    8 

Tennessee    92 

Texas     74 

Utah     31 

Vermont    18 

Virginia     71 

Washington    67 

West  Virginia   51 

Wisconsin    56 

Wyoming    7 

Insular     26 

Foreign    305 

Total    9,429 


I 

5 


V^M^'^f^r 


■  )-■;:;«, 


'^Jd-'. 


If  / 


410 


APPENDIX 


^•Ji  n  f 


I'm 


P..     C      ., 


APPENDIX   IV 

INSTEUCTIONAL   STAFF   AND   STUDENT  ENROLMENT 

1868-1913 


is 

m 
EC 

o 

n 

«. 

'J. 

B.  S. 
or 

Lltt.B. 

H 

• 

a 

-1 

e'en 

oiS 

*« 

g-5 

g'Sb 

< 

a 

Litt.B 

O 

S. 

*« 

^2? 

£l 

Ut 

gr; 

Is 

en 

a 

*« 

1868-1869 

"0 

281 

281 

1871-1872 

1(4 

5 

379 

•    • 

884 

1874-1875 

i  17 

19 

7 

U  1  o 

383 

24 

.' 

"i 

415 

1877-1878 

2^t 

8 

44 

445 

33 

is 

8 

651 

1880-1881 

35 

8 

41 

378 

31 

22 

12 

492 

188:5-1884 

41 

8 

55 

370 

41 

39 

15 

528 

1886-1887 

41 

7 

88 

353 

48 

32 

35 

563 

1889-1890 

45 

12 

105 

io 

455 

45 

54 

87 

768 

1892-1893 

63 

12 

103 

14  600 

115 

152 

76 

1072 

1895-1896 

79 

7 

119 

7  544 

192 

109 

110 

1088 

1898-1899 

85 

9 

128 

4  607 

238 

65 

57 

1108 

1901-1902 

101 

16 

117 

5  730 

285 

143 

74 

1370 

1904-1906  109 

13 

91 

8  638 

^   , 

362a 

188 

87 

1387 

1907-1908  163 

20 

93 

5  647 

'46b 

177c 

247 

11 

55 

1301 

1910-1911   174 

28 

113 

8  496 

37b 

302c 

178(1 

214 

6 

62 

1444 

1913-1914  202 

1 

45 

181 

13  469 

53b 

450c 

227d 

166 

8 

47 

1699 

(a)  R.S.  and  Litt.  B.  not  diflerentUted. 

(b)  B.S.  apperclasitmen. 

(c)  B.S.  HDd  Litt.  B.  underclMBmen  not  differentiated. 

(d)  Litt.B.  uiiperclastmen. 


APPE> 

:dix  V 

Endowmen 

T,  1869-1914 

Year                          General 

Special 

1869-70   .... 

.  .  .   $274,345.00 

$247,655.00 

1872-73    .... 

.  .  .      284,000.65 

408,823.53 

1875-76    .... 

.  . .      438.480.45 

423,925.00 

1880-81    .... 

.  .  .      539.028.50 

440.11.8 1.95 

1883-84    

.  .  .      678,754.50 

552,790.95 

1880-87    

.  .  .      650.679.50 

780,680.95 

1889-90    

.  . .      674.459.96 

850,356.95 

1892-93    .... 

.  . .      683,059.56 

941,709.81 

1895-96    

.  . .      692,209.."^ ■> 

980,010.89 

1898-09    

.  .  .      724.934.56 

1,591.581.95 

1901-02    

.  .  .      7.35,081.10 

1,845,568.90 

1904-05    .... 

.  .  . .      762.018.95 

2,111.981.05 

1907-08    

.  .  .      720,043.05 

3,037.206.95 

1910-11    .... 

.  . .     920,380.00 

4,207,820.00 

i9io  y--  .... 

.  .  .      923,280.00 

4,305,620.00 

Total 
$522,000.00 
692.884.18 
862.405.45 
979.21.5.45 
1,231,545.45 
1,437.366.51 
1,624.816.91 
1,624,769.37 
1,678.220.45 
2,316,516.51 
2,580,650.00 
2.874,000.00 
3.763,250.00 
5,128,200.00 
5,228,900,00 


i       i  ill ,  • 

'ill'!'* 


.¥  i^iSsm&i^i^^aiitssr^iirFS^KrwmM 


rf^aiClvi'AAt,* 


■■"v 


APPENDIX 


411 


APPENDIX    VI 
Financial  Summaby,  Year  Ending  July  31,  11)13 


A.    Oenkbal  Incomk— 
1    Dividends   and    Intcreit 
from  (icneral  Endow- 
ment luvettmentt 

8  Intereet  on  Bank  Dnl- 
ances  (to  the  extent 
same  is  Oencrah 

3  Income   Special  Fuiiil*. 

applicable  to   General 
Purposes 

4  Room  Rents 

5  Students'  Fees 

6  Sundries 


B.  Gbaduat*  ConNcii-— 
Pledges  and  Subxcrlptions. 

C.  Incomb  from  Invkst- 

MKNTS    HELD    roR    tiPK- 

ciAL  Funds— 
!    Specified  Funds 

2  Library  Funds 

3  Grounds  and  Buildings 

Funds  


IKCOVK  From  Gifts— 
General  Bducational.... 

Library  

Grounds  and  Buildings. 
Special  Purposes 


RECEIPTS 
OtMTol  SptcicU 


Olfti 


$13,947  44 
8.3T1  80 


45,145  52 

111,480  2S 

2:M,H12  05 

6.T77  89 


$29  21 


10,598  38 
5.773  12 


$444,534  96        $16,385  71 


$51,825  96 


$2,298  08      $126,771  99 
0,315  00 


6.384  00 


TotcU 

$43,976  66 
8,871  80 


46,145  .^2 
111.480  26 
339,405  43 

12,551  01 

$460,930  67 


$51,835  96 


$120,070  07 
9,315  00 

6,384  00 


$2,298  08      $142,470  99        $144.789  07 


$43,074  99 

13,792  87 

8,.300  00 

14,567  12 


$43,074  90 

13.792  87 

5,300  00 

14,567  13 


Total  Receipts $498,659  00      $158,866  70       $76.734  98       $76,734  96 


Sumnuiry  of  Receipts 


A.  8460,930  67 


51,825  96 

144,769  07 

76,734  98 


Total $734,260  68 


1 


I 


DISBURSEMENTS 


Oenerat 

A.  Instructinm  and  Ad- 

ministration        $376,678  34 

B.  Grounds  and  Buildings        177,617  69 

C.  Library 18,174  66 

D.  Sundries 7  14 


Special 

$131,759  36 

9,897  77 
13,934  34 
15.353  04 


Gifts 

$52.569  90 

797  00 

9..342  63 

6,691  51 


Total 

$S61,007  60 
188.31C  46 
41,451  68 
22.051  60 


Total $572,477  83      $170,944  51        $69.40113      $812.823  47 


If 


i 


h5  v;, 


"^KH  •  Sn^BIWWBK- 


7^^ii3^ifi^---::^.v- -'riiV^iiS^^i''  -,5-*, 


■P 


•ws 


INDEX 


Adams.    John,    at    rrlnccton.    77, 

A(Ivl»<TH.    .S7« 
Al<-xandi'r.    !<ti'phen.    14.'^ 
Al.  xandpr    Half,    2.''.'^     Ml 
Altimnl     Aaanrlatlon     of     Nassau 

irall,   140,   144 
Aliimpl     HHso<iatlon«.     240 ;    rp"- 

Kraphlcnl      distrihution,      40U ; 

siilldarlty,    24« ;    truHtcps,    240, 

Alumni  coiamcnccment  addressop. 

141 
Aniorlcan  W    .n  Society,  180.  258, 

a78 

Art   Museum.  232.  355 

AtbktIcB,   207-210,   346,   381.  305 

B 

BelcJipr,  Jonathan,  12,  21.  23,  26- 
2!t.   41,  48 

RIoloRlral  laboratory.  232.  258 

Illnlr.  Samuel,  50.  flO.  70;  "Ac- 
count of  the  College  of  New 
Jersey,"   60.    170.    173-174,   208 

Rlalr  Hall,  282,  363 

Hoathouse,  359 

Itoiinds,   coIIprp,   203 

Brokaw  Memorial  Rulldlnfr,  258 

Hrown  Hall.  258,  .S63 

Bureau  of  Student  Self-IIolp.  302 

Burlesques,  Senior,   200 

Burr,  Aaron.  5,  8,  23,  27  ;  presi- 
dent, 31  ;  tnauKural,  32  :  death 
and  character.  48-49 ;  entra-jce 
re(|ulremenls,  203 ;  curriculum, 
40.  206-297 

Burr.  Colonel  Aaron,  145 

Bursar,  118 

Butler,  169 

Buttery,  168 


Cameron.    FTenry   C.    269 

Campbell   Hall,  282,  .364 

Campus,  Growth,  333 ;  earliest 
print,  .'!34  :  In  1704,  Xir, ;  In 
1847.  341 :  plan  of  develop- 
ment. ,339,  344  ;  life,  170,  .368  tr 

Cnne  spree,   380 

Cannon.    146 

Carnahan,  James,  president,  137  ; 


reslf^ns,  153 ;  administration, 
l.'i4  ;  carrirulura,  .307 

Carnenle,   Lnke.   270 

Clianrellor   (ireen    Library.    231 

Chanel,  50.  1.13,  171-172;  21,3, 
214,    232,   .341.   3.-.n 

Chaplains,  Itevolutlonar.r  183, 
186 

Charter  of  1746.  11,  14,  1718;  of 
1748,   23-26,  399 

Cheer,  206 

Chemical   lat»oratnry.  258,  .3.'iO 

Chemistry.  Introduction  of,  101 

Chi  I'hl,  216 

Civil  euBlneerlnR,  231,  317-319, 
322 

Civil  War,  100-162 

Cleveland,   r,  rover,    278,   2«5,    .366 

Cllosophlc   .society,    1^0.   258,   .378 

Clubs,  377 ;  upperclass,  270, 
387  ft. 

College  of  New  Jersey,  Earliest 
account,  2 ;  purpose.  3,  8,  10, 
20,  63 :  at  Elizabeth,  17,  21 :  at 
Newark,  44-46 :  moves  to 
I'rinceton.  1-37.  44;  Blair's 
"Account."  00,  170  17.3-174. 
208,  334  ;  theolodc  control, 
20,  123;  Southern  am.iAtton,  9.3- 
94.  160 ;  Civil  War.  161  ;  cen- 
tennial. 150-151.  340;  sesqul- 
centennlal,  260-l'63 ;  university 
title  adopted,  ZG 

College  expenses,  i7.  117,  119, 
134,  135,  141,  301  It. 

Collenes.  separate,  proposed,  134 

Colors.  206 

Commencement.  32.  48,  64,  75, 
152,   105,  196,   307 

Commencement  bal      106-197 

Committee  of  Flftv     2S1 

Commons,  109,  110,   174,   176-178 

Congress.  Continental,  at  Prince- 
ton,  85-87 

Costume  and  dressing,  202.  204 

Cracker    explosions.    130,    138 

Curriculum,  theory  of.  291-202, 
328,  330 ;  trend  toward  science 
under  Prcs.  Smith,  126;  Ice- 
land's opinion,  311  ;  poverty  of, 
102-103,  307;  rev'  Ions.  46.  60, 
87,  126,  225,  234  j72,  206,  207, 
298-301,  .H03,  3(15,  .3ii7.  309- 
311.   313-318.    320-328. 

«  uyler  Hall,  dOo 


I! 


i 


413 


V. 


z'SJ^w'-rJSPtLya' 


'^W'^^i^^'T^ 


-^ 


p  f 


( 


1  tf , 


T> 


N 


414 


INDEX 


I) 


IIoiiNf,   :i47 

Hnclii'lor  of  arrhltcrtiirp, 
•J4i;  ;  lUvlnltv.  •-'4:t  ;  laws, 
It'Itors,  272,  32tl;  solono'. 


I>nvlrs,  Sfttnurl.  trip  t<i  Knuland, 
10;  priKlililil.  .•."»;  Iiilliiinco, 
r.7  ."(!•  ;  odiK.  17-';  rt'irnlntlons 
for    dPKrffn,     '>*  •     currlfiilum, 

licnn'M 
licyr''*' 

•-M 1 . 

ir.2; 

230 
I»..irr.-.B,     HlKhor.     .'.4.    231,     2,30 

23!t.    2r.7,   2tl4-2n7 
ivnio.racy.   :»\h,  370.   3!t4 
lii'iiiirtnichtal  plan,  272.  327 
lUcklnHon.     .lonathan.     .'> :     prosi 

ilpnt.    14.    17.    23;   •■ntrnnx-    n>- 

iliilrrmiiils.     2112;     riiriiculum. 

2!I0 
I»l(kln«nn  llnll,  231 
IHs.lplln.-.   4.-..   N'.t,    lOft,    127,    121), 

1.-7,    171.   24tl.    2SM 
••  IHvlnlty   llnll."    11.3,   330 
Pod    Hall.    2,-.S.    303 
I)odK<-   llall.   208 
Dormltorl.H,    231,    258,    268,    282. 

301  IT. 
Dramatics.    llt.'i-lO?.   247 
DrPsalnK-Kowntt.   204 
DrlnklnK,  1H!».  3S3 
Duffleld,  John  T.,  222.  269 

E 

E.    M.   Museum,    241,    .3.')2 
KaHt   ColleKo,   144.   330 
Kdwards.   .Tonathnn.   24.   50-52 
K<lwnrds   Hall.   232.   303 
Kli-ctlons,  Class,  380 
ICloctrlcal  Englneorlng  laboratory. 

258 
Elpctrlcal  EnRlneerlnff,  School  of, 

Endowm'ent,    153.    157.    241,   282, 

410 
Engine    housp.   .^.34 
Entrance    reiiidrpnipnts,    54,    257, 

270      2!>3-2!)5,     312.     31.5.    318, 

31i>,  328 
Examinations,  180,  259.  293,  384 


Faculty.    70.    83.    Ill,    114,    121, 

143,  234.  268.  26!>,  283.  410 
Faculty   Room,  278 
K,llow8hlps,     228,     235.    239-241, 

265    270.   283.   285,   288,   367 
I'lnancps,    34.    72.    81.    105.    100. 

141.    147.    15.3,    157,    241.    282- 

283.    411 
Fine.  Henry  B..  284 
Finlpv,   Samuel.  5,  60 ;  prrsldent. 

0.--   curriculum.  60.   298 
FitzUandolph.   Nathanlpl,   36.   278 
FnJivth  of  Julv.  107-109 


Fratcrnltlps.   158.  244-245 
Kri'Hhman   rulcn,   167.  201 

O 

(Jporgp  II,  portrait,  56 

(iolf  plulihouso,  360 

WowtiN.  2U1 

(ira.liiafp   Collcgp,    267.    274,   276- 

277,  281.  283  2H4.  2K5.  286.  30t; 
lirndunlp  ("oiincll.  282 
(irnduati'      InKtrurilon.      2.35-237, 

257.    204-207.    2H5 
<;railua|p   School,  205,   285 
<;ra<luatps.      clghtppnth      century. 

1821S7;      nlni'tcrnth     century, 

217  •.']!• 
(Jrnmmnr   school,   01,   80.   81,   82, 

175 
"(ircat  UcliPlllon,"  131,  170 
(Jropn.  .\Hhlwl.  H'.i;  president.  124, 

127.     136:    diHclpllnp.    106  100. 

132  134;  currlrulum.  305 
r.repn,  Charles   E.,   200 
<!u.vot  Mall,  282,  351 
Gymnasiums,    209,    229,   231.    350 

II 

IlalstPd    Observatory,     232,     .342, 

359 
Hamilton,  .Tohn,  11,  12 
Hamilton   Hall,  364 
Hart.  J.  S.,   145 
Henry,  Bayard,  348 
Henry,  Joseph,  144-145,  149,  155, 

193 
Henry    House,   340,   362 
Illbbon,  John  O..  president.  285: 

Inaugural.       291  ;      curriculum. 

328-331  :  advances  under.  286 
Holder  Hall,  282,  .364 
Honor  svstpm.  259 
Honors,' Final   special.    324.   329, 

:!S5 

Horn  spree.  200 
"  Horsing."   201,   ,373 
Hosack,   David.   132 
Huntington,  Countess  of,  18 

I 

Indian    students,    84.    93,    355 
Infirmary.    258.   360 


Johnston,   Alexander,  269 

K 
Kargf.  Joseph,  268 

L 

Laboratories,    104,   109.   110,   232. 

258.   282.   349-354 
Lafavette.  Marquis  of.   138 


,M«. 


im 


I  k 


■J,r 


"^^If^m^ 


,!•¥■  W..    I 


aas^A^ag&jj^.  ■iaiiaiiiiii  ■■fc 


INDEX 


415 


fjtw   dopdrtiDMit,    140.    145.    140- 

ITiO 
l.awn  nt    Newark,   4'! ;    Mt    I'rince- 

Ulll,    lll.'i 

I.aw.vpm.     Karly     I'rlnooton.     1m| 
"  Ij»>!y  C'lrnpf,"   'iOTt 

IJIilwy,   William.   L'4S.   :;»U.   .14K 
l.ll)rnrl<'s,  .'.,'..   KCi.   Ui'.>,   J 14,  Ut'J, 

:.':«i.  :i:tJ,  ;t:i7.  xm.  ;i47  .'f4i» 
I.lndMly.    rtillln.    tl".).    i:a 
Mttl<-   Hall,   MH.  :{)i;{ 
Mvermon-,    Samuel,    44.    46.    2!)7 
lAiokwood,  .lames.   Til! 
r.o({  «ollpKe.  r»,  «,  11,  15,   10 
Ix>ttPrleH.  (11 

LnyallRtH.    I'rlnreton.    185 
LfoD,   JameH,    172 

M 

McCosh.  .TamoR.  president.  224  ; 
InaiiKiiral,  22(1;  Infliienre.  221, 
224,  240 ;  and  WttherHpn.in, 
224 :  on  evolution.  222 :  crltl- 
rised.  2.1.S,  24, 't ;  facultv,  2;i4, 
242:  nirrkulum,  234,  ,1l3-;nM, 
.120,122;  Bilenre.  2:tO.  241  ;  fel- 
lowHhIps,  22«,  2;i,'>,  240;  Rradil 
ate  inntrucllon,  2.'10  ;  I)iil1dlnt;!i, 
231-2:t2 :  diBolpllne,  243-24.-.  ; 
student  oPKanlzatlon,   247-248 

McCosh  Hall.  2S2.  3«<»,  3ti.5 

Mnrlean,  ,Iohn,  professor  of  chem- 
Idtry,  101 

Maclean.  John,  Jr.,  tutor,  13.">  ; 
revives  collese,  142;  policies, 
148;  president,  l.'i.T  ;  Inauf^ural, 
l.'.O;  administration.  103:  cur- 
riculum, 22,'>,  300-311 ;  disci- 
pline, 1.'-.7.   163 

Marquand  Chapel,  232.  S.'iO 

Medical  department,  25,  133,  141, 
143 

Merwlck,  277 

Military  companies.  Revolution, 
78;  Civil  War.  102;  .Spanish- 
American  War,  204 

Miller,   Samuel,   110.    110 

Modern  languugea.  208.  303,  306, 
308 

Morgan,  Colonsl  (Jeorge,  S.^.T 

Morris.  (lOvernor.   1 1 

Murray.   .Tames  (»..   2.'>0,   200,   I'OO 

Murray    Hall,    2.T1,    208 

Museums,  i:4,  241,  .3,38,  ,340,  350, 
3,')2,  .3r>3,  .3,'i5 

Music.  r>tj.   172.  173,  382 

N 

Nassau  Cadets,  162 

Nassau   Hall,  38.  .30,   41.  44,   71. 

78,   70,    82,    84.    lO.".    131,    l,-.7, 

108.    100.    333,   34.5 
Nassau  Hall  Philological  Society. 

139 


Natural  history,  rahlnet.  114;  In- 

trmluced,    101 
Newark,    I.lfe    at.    44-4.'> 


() 

Ohservatorles.     232 
••((Id    Nawsau."    173 
Orrery,   Itlltenhouse'H.  74 

I'  1 

Packard,  William  A.,  200 
Palmer  Physical   I.almratory,  282, 

:t,'i0 
"  Paper  Warg,"  2(M» 
Patton,     Prancis     I,.,     president. 

2,'>1 :    administration,    2,'il27o; 

curriculum,  25,->,  ;!2,'J-324  ;  luilld- 

Ings,  2.''>8 
Patton,  Uobert   11..  1,30 
Patt'in   Hall,   282,  :iO.% 
Peking.    Princeton   work    In.    248, 

.3,".  7 
Pemberton.    Ebenezer,   8 
Phlladelphlan    Society,    210,    357, 

370 
Physical   education.   358 
Poets.    Kevolutlonary.    183 
"  Poler's    Uecess."    200 
Political   campaigns,   211 
••  Poor  House,    110 
Prnyer-hall,  l.%3.  278.  .342 
Preceptorial  method.  273-276.  384 
Princeton,     location     at.     22,     36- 

37  ;   battle.   70 
"  Princeton    House.^^    .300 
"  Princeton  Monographs  In  Art." 

200 
Princeton  University   Press,  200 
I'roclnmatlons.  20() 
Procter   gift.    283 
Procter   Hall.    300 
I'rofessors^   houses.  336,  340 
*•  Prospect."    84.   .I.M 
Psvchologlcal  laboratory,  340 
Publications,      I'nlvcrsity,      200; 

student,  182,  247 
Pyne.  M.  Taylor.  240.  ;t48.  306 
Pyne.   I'pper  and    Lower,   268 
Pyne  Library,  348 


Quad  plan,   270 
Qualifying  students,  258 


Rakes,  200 

Itebelllons.  115.   131.   170,  214 
Hefectorv.   100,    110.   174.   170-178 
Bellulous  life,  212.  i:iO.  247.  357; 

societies.  -JIO.  247.  248.  357 
Reunion  Hall.   231.  302 
Revivals  of  rellglou.  131.  212 


P' 


-tt.\- 


-'t-f. 


,1 

"4 


416 


INDEX 


iir. 

376 


51. 1 


nrvolullon.    7.".    7S.    81 
Hilt",  John  II.,  1H7 

Riot  of  iKoo.  i;i4 :  of  ISO., 
Uush,  Freshman-sophomore, 

S 

St.    Patrick's  Day  rniadp.   395 
St.   Paul's  Society,  U48,  357 
Schamk,  .lohn  S.,  2t«» 
Science,    W».     101,     104-10..,     114- 

1  in,  128,  331;.  330-33.S.  342-344, 

349  354 
gclenre.  School  of,  230,  231,  315- 

818,    321-322 
Scrlbner,    Charles,    2!)0  ,      ,     ,     , 
S"mlnarv,    Princeton    Theological, 

120,  122-124 
Senior  council,  273 
Seventy-nine  Hall.  2«2,  30.1 
Seventy-seven   Hall,  see  Campbell 

Shields,  Charles   W.,  20.   208 
Shlppen,  .Toseph,  44-46,  200-298 
Slnslng,  Senior,  396 
Smith,    Caleb,    18 
Smith,   Samuel   S..  professor,  81  , 
president,    100 ;    sciences,    101  ; 
ambition,     102-103 ;    character. 
125;    bulldlnns,    330;    curricu- 
lum, 126.  303 
Snowball  tlKhts.   381 
Sophomore   commencement,    _nu 
Southern  affiliation.  03-94.   100 
Bpanlsh-Amerlcan  War.  264 
Special    students,    250 
Stafford  Little  lectures,  290 
Stamp    Act,    64,    6,5 
Steward.    42.    43,    lifi    .^     ^ 
Stewart,  John    A.,   president   pro 

Student, "Enrolment,    21.    SO.    81. 
82.    104,     109,    114,    135,    141. 
148.   162,  283,  410;   geographi- 
cal distribution,  408 
Students,  burn    New   York   letter, 
75:   wear   American  cloth.    70; 
burn    tea,    76 ;    manners,    193 ; 
costume,      202-205 ;      organiza- 
tions.   247  ;    publications,    247  ; 
self-government,   273 
*'  Studies."   making.  S8.  89 
Sumptuary  laws,  107,  117.  13.1 
Sundav  observance.  111,  203,  308 
Surgeons.  Revolutionary,   185 
Swann  bequest,   281 
Svnod    of    New    York   and    Phlla- 

"delphla,    67,    68 
Synod  of  Philadelphia,  0,  8 


Taverns.  137.  168,  170.  187.  180, 

100.     106,    108.    .383 
"  Toa-Partv,"    Princeton,   76 
Teachers,   early    Princeton.   1S4 
Tennent,    (JUbort.   0.    24,    40 
Tennent,   William,   5 
Theological    department,    01, 

110-112,   122-12^ 
Thomson  College,  ^17,  300 
Trustees,    charter    of    1740, 

charter      of      1748,       27; 

dresses  to  governor,  02,  03 

tltude   toward    Crown.    04. 

and  Internal   government. 


74. 


14; 

ad- 
at- 
75; 
120; 


alumni.    240.    209;   composition 
of   board.    280. 
Tutors,  duties,   112-113 

U 

TTnlverslty   Field,  359 

T-nlverslty   Hall,   231 

University   Idea.   29-30,   252,   253, 

254 
rnlverslty  Offices.  109 
University,  Organization  of,   286- 

290 


Vethakp,  Henry,  132,  135,  144 

W 

Washington.    General,    Peale    por 
trait,    57;    at    Princeton,   85-86 

Washington's  Birthday,  153,  190, 
386 

West,  Andrew  F..  260.  265.  276 

West  College,   144.  330,  362 

Whltefield,   Oeorge,    10 

Wilson.  Woodrow,  professor,  269  ; 
president,  270;  Inaugural.  271  ; 
administration,  282 ;  curricu- 
lum, 272,  325-328;  governor 
New  Jersey,  284 ;  President 
I'nlted  States,  284 

Wlthcrspoon,  John,  president,  68, 
71 :  politics,  72,  77  ;  tours,  73  ; 
visits  England,  82;  InBuenoe  In 
philosophv,  87 ;  In  education. 
00;  discipline.  89-91;  pupils. 
02;  graduates,  95-99:  lectures, 
88  ;  curriculum,  87.  299,301 

Wltherspoon    Hall,    232,    362 

Wyman  bequest,  294 


Young,  Charles  A.,  241,  269 


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